The Elementalists: New Horizons
by LoZmercenary002
Summary: Percy Miller is an English kid trying to find his passion, but he's suddenly sucked into a world of... magic! What is this mysterious place? Will Percy find the adventure he's been looking for? MC x Aster, Brotherly bonding, The Elementalists, Magic School, Atlas x Shreya, Zeph and MC BroTP, and Beckett and MC BroTP
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Open Enrollment

The place was dark. I didn't recognise it. There were so many trees, but they were black and scary. I could feel the wind attacking my face as I ran. I ran so fast. I was terrified. What was that thing behind me? I looked over my shoulder and saw a huge dark figure with horns and sharp teeth. It's mouth and eyes glowed a burning red, like magma had made a home in its core. It chased me on all fours as if it was a panther trying to catch its dinner. I ran. It let out a blood-curdling roar that pierced my ears and shook the ground beneath me. I fell into the mud. I couldn't feel my legs. I reached my hand out and grasped at the mud, trying to pull myself away, but my body was so heavy. I made it to a pool of black water that reflected my face back at me like a mirror… Wait… it wasn't me… Whoever it was… he looked like me, but he wasn't me. His face was muddy, scratched, and filled with terror.

"Come on! Get up! Keep moving!" I yelled, continuing to drag myself through the mud. I looked up and saw a long mirror. I needed to get to it. Just a touch… "Just… a little… farther!" I screamed at myself as I desperately tried to reach it. A thunderous bang echoed through the darkness. I spun around. _Shit, shit, shit!_ It had caught up to me. I was out of time. I rolled onto my back and through my hands up in a last-ditch-effort to save myself. "Yueguang Trabem!" I screeched at the top of my lungs as a searing power left my fingertips.

I sat up so quickly that I became light-headed. My breathing was heavy, and my hand was on my chest, my shirt bunched up in my fist. I was drenched in sweat, but I was in my room. I was safe. I looked around to reassure myself. "That… That felt so real…," I whispered to myself. Suddenly, a sound caught my attention. It was my alarm. I silenced my phone and looked at the time. "Crikey! I'm late!" I jumped out of bed and into my closet, grabbing at the first set of clothes I could find. It was almost 10 o'clock and I needed to have left by 9. I darted for the door, glimpsing myself in the hallway mirror just long enough to know that I looked exhausted. My wavy white hair was a mess.

I got to my advisor's office with seconds to spare and fell into the chair across from her desk with a huff. "I am so sorry, ma'am. I overslept."

She looked a bit put-off by my appearance or behaviour, but her words were still kind. "You're not late, so that's quite alright, Mr. Miller."

"Just Percy is fine, Ms. Robertson," I sat up and tried to look more presentable, but I'd been slacking off so much lately in every aspect of my life, that I didn't really have the motivation to pull it off.

"Percy, right," she shook her head, seemingly disappointed with herself for not remembering that from the last time we met. "Forgive me. I'm used to working with… more troubled students." She sifted through some papers on her desk and pulled out a file with my name on it. After flipping through a few pages, she frowned. "By all accounts, you're a perfect student, Percy. It's only a couple of weeks into the quarter, but your grades and attendance are excellent, so I've got to ask… Why are you here?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's hard to describe, ma'am," I explained. "I know I should be happy, but I'm just… not… I try _so_ hard, but no matter what I do, it all just feels like… like I'm sittin' in a waitin' room or somethin' and no-one ever calls my name."

She folded her hands together and leant forward on her elbows. "And what is it exactly that you're waiting for?"

I sighed and leant back in the chair. "I don't know… I guess I'm lookin' for a life of adventure," I scoffed at my own air-headed comment.

"What?" was all she said.

I smiled, almost laughing at myself as I clarified. "A life explorin' new places, collectin' ancient artefacts, discoverin' mysterious powers… That's not too much to ask, is it?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and I noticed her lip twitch as she tried to remain serious. "Those are certainly some… _original_ aspirations, but I can't help you live in a fantasy world, Percy."

I rolled my eyes a bit, my smile fading. "Yeah, I know. It's just a joke anyway. I just wish I actually _knew_ what I was looking for. Whatever it is, it's not this," I gestured to the walls around us. Uni was so _boring_ to me. Classes were easy, I was rarely challenged, and I just wanted something new to suddenly spring into my life a lift my spirits from this aggravating slump I'd been in for the last _most of my life_. I always felt like something was missing.

"I know you're at a crossroads right now, and one of the directions you could go would mean dropping out of Uni," she frowned.

I matched her expression. "The thought had crossed my mind…"

"Please, don't do it," she implored me. "When this phase you're in ends, you don't want to discover that you've given up your chance to get a higher education, do you?"

I let my head fall slightly to the side as I pondered what to do. "But… what if you're wrong and it's not a phase?" I asked, wondering if phases usually lasted six years…

She leant back in her chair and her hands fell to her lap. "How about this? Why don't you go home and think about it before you make your decision? Will you do that for me?"

I sighed and nodded. "Sure. I guess I can do that."

The conversation wrapped up quickly after that and I made my way back to my flat. I felt so defeated. The meeting with Ms. Robertson was supposed to _help_ me, not _hinder_ me. I dropped my bag by the sofa and went into the bathroom. I leant against the counter and glared at myself in the mirror. My face looked dead. If it wasn't for the trace amount of pink in my pale cheeks and the annoyed furrow of my eyebrows, I'd have thought I _was_ dead.

"I know you belong _somewhere_. I _know_ there's more to you that this," I tried to give myself a pep-talk. I stared deeply into my own depressed eyes. Then I noticed the lights flicker. "What the hell?" I looked up at the fixture above the vanity as the bulbs flashed on and off. I moved to turn the switch off, but then I noticed something _incredibly_ odd out of the corner of my eye. My reflection didn't move with me. "Huh?" I looked closer at the mirror, but it still didn't follow me. I was looking at… well… _me_… but it wasn't me… _the guy from my dream?_ He had white hair, like me, but it was straight, not wavy, and his eyes looked angry and stiff, not depressed and confused. "What the bleedin' hell?" I reached out to touch the mirror, curious to see if this was some sort of prank… not that I had any friends to prank me… My hand stopped short of the mirror, almost as if I was scared to find out why this was happening. Was I asleep? Well, if I was, what was the harm in investigating? With a slight shake in my hand, I touched the glass… but my fingertips went through the mirror… "Shite!" I tried to pull my hand back, but I was stuck… and getting sucked in… "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" I shouted as my face came only inches from the mirror.

Everything went black. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, and I couldn't hear. I was terrified. _Please be a dream. Please be a dream!_ Suddenly, I could see light, but it was dim, like I was underwater… wait… I _was_ underwater. I could feel the current against my skin and the water stung my eyes. I tried to hold my breath, but I didn't have anything left. I tried to swim for the surface, but my body couldn't move. I was scared. I remember an arm wrapping around me, but I was about to black out. The next thing I knew, I was on land looking up at the sky.

"Where… Where am I?" I tried to sit up, but I felt so weak. I turned my head to see my surroundings. I was on luscious green grass and there was a stone bench next to a pond, which I assumed I'd just been pulled out of. There were buildings… like a small old German town… little stone cottages with ivy growing up the corners and apex rooves. There was a giant statue of a woman in the centre square… _Wait!_ I finally had the energy to spring up. _Where the bloody hell am I? And how did I get here?!_ I looked around again, this time noticing that the statue's head was moving, and that _people_ were _flying_ around in the bloody _sky_ on bloody _furniture_! I put my hand over my eyes. "Oh no… I must have hit my head or somethin'…"

"Hey, hey! You're okay. I got you," I deep, yet soothing voice came from below me. A dark-skinned guy in a soaking wet hoodie stood to meet my eyes. "You're a new student here, right?" he smiled warmly.

I dropped my hand and did another 360 of my surroundings. "I'm… _a_ student…"

"Great! You missed the Hall of Mirrors by a mile, but you made it. Welcome to Penderghast College of Elemental Magics," he grinned widely, but my eyes might have been wider. _Hall of… Elemental Magic?!_ "Since it's your first day of the new semester, we should probably get you to the dining hall for orientation. If you're feeling okay, that is."

I could feel my eye twitch in confusion, but I didn't want to give myself away. I looked around one more time, wondering if this was actually real or if I'd been hit by a bus on the way home… I saw some posh looking guy eyeing me disdainfully as he walked by.

"I suppose I should have listened to my father when he said the admissions standards are in decline here," he tilted his nose up. His pointed features added to his pressed shirt and tight blazer to make him look like a total prick. "Didn't you read the information packet? There are arrival protocols, you know." This may not have been the real world, but I was honestly offended by his presence.

"Who are you? Campus police?" the darker guy retorted in my defence. "Why don't you make yourself useful and take him up to orientation?"

He scoffed. "I think not. I am Beckett _Harrington_. I don't have time to show the other first years around campus," his lip curled into a sneer as he looked me up and down. Without saying another word, he turned on his heel and stalked up the hill towards a large stone building. _Why are Oxford blokes always over the_ _top_?

"I guess it's just you and me then. I'm Griffin," he held out his hand to me with a big smile.

I took his hand, my own a bit shaky from shock, the cold water, and the fact that I hadn't eaten all day. "I'm proper confused… and Percy."

He chuckled a bit then said, "Here, Percy, let me help you." He balled his fists and brought them up to his mouth, making a tunnel as he blew through his hands. Before I could ask what the bleedin' hell he was doing and how that would help in the slightest, the air around me suddenly changed and I could feel a strong draft airing out my clothing.

"Blimey! I'm completely dry!" I looked down in awe.

"There you go, good as new," he said, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. "You might still wat to change at some point, though. It tends to get chilly in the evenings." He pulled his hands back up and dried himself, shaking the last of the water off of his shoes. "Sorry if the work was a little shoddy. Air magic isn't the most natural to us Earth-Atts, but Professor Englund says I'm getting it," the corner of his lip twitched up in a friendly smile. "Come on, I'll take you up to the school for orientation," he gestured towards the top of the hill with his head and turned to lead the way. Not knowing what else to do, I stumbled after him.

"Okay, wait… so… you're sayin' magic is _real_? Actually real?" I stammered, trying not to trip over myself while watching the people flying overhead.

He laughed. "Either that or we're all trapped in the same fever dream." We walked passed the large statue in the centre square and its head followed me. My eyes went wide and I ducked, as if it would suddenly make it stop. "Oh, don't worry about that. That's just the security system, set to vaporise any Attuneless intruders, but there hasn't been one on campus in… well, I don't even know."

_Sweet fanny adams, I would rather love to not be vaporised right about now…_ I kept eye contact with the statue, terrified that it would know I didn't belong there, but it soon looked away. I let out a sigh of relief, but the curiosity of why it _didn't_ vaporise me burnt at the back of my mind. When I looked ahead again, I noticed that we'd reached a set of _massive_ double doors at the front of the large stone building.

The doors opened by themselves and Griffin led me into a giant entrance hall. It was a mansion. In the middle of the room, there was a huge wooden staircase with intricate carvings along the railings. The ceiling was three stories high, showing the second and third floor balconies wrapping around the rest of the room. On each side of the doors stood a knight's armour set. The helmets seemed to turn to look at me when I stared at them. The floor was mostly hardwood, but there was a large blue patterned rug that took up the centre of the room. Candlelit sconces bordered each doorway and picture frame around the room. Overall, it was incredibly grand.

"Welcome to Penderghast! If you follow me this way, I'll show you…," he paused when a loud chime rang through the building. He looked down at his watch. "Oh, crap! I totally forgot about this Thief team meeting I'm supposed to go to!"

I took a step towards him, horrified to be on my own. "Please don't leave me," I blurted out.

He smiled kindly. "Of course not! I'll drop you off at the dining hall. We're just gonna have to speed this tour up, is all." He led me up the first flight of stairs to an adjoining hallway that was covered in a long green rug with a crest of the letter P every few metres. "The dining hall is just at the end of this hall and to the left. This is the school's main building, so there's a ton of offices and stuff in here. Reception, the dean's office, classrooms… Some of the Attunement placement exams are held here, too."

I repeated his words. "'Attunement placement?'"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "I think it's kinda silly, too. I knew Earth was my thing when I caused a tiny earthquake throwing a tantrum over dessert when I was, like, five."

"Right… Yeah… That's a thing that happens," I said awkwardly.

As we walked down the hall, I could hear a commotion coming from inside one of the rooms.

"Oh, _hell_!" a girl's voice rang out.

"Er, Griffin? What's this room?" I asked, pointing at the doorway.

He turned around and followed my eyes. "That's the Hall of Mirrors, where you were _supposed_ to come through."

I pushed the door open slowly to find a gorgeous girl with long, dark hair with her foot stuck in a floor-length mirror. _This day cannot get any more bizarre… _Knowing what I know now, I should have touched wood the moment the thought crossed my mind.

"Oh, Thank goodness! Some assistance, s'il vous plait?" the French rolled off her tongue naturally. She had a handbag on the floor that looked seriously expensive, and her knitted blouse and knee-length skirt didn't look any cheaper.

Griffin and I looked at each other then rushed forward to grab each of her hands. As she fell forward, she landed in my arms and her foot hit the floor with a thud. She blew her bangs out of her face and beamed up at me. "Oops," she giggled. "Shreya Mistry, in your arms and at your service. Good catch by the way," she introduced herself as she stood straight and tidied her wardrobe.

"How did you get stuck?" I asked as she ran her fingers through her curly black hair. She was a fit bird. She had a long neck, tan skin, and opal eyes. Her shoulders were slender, but she had curves in all the right places. She seemed like a model, I thought.

She sighed. "I always have trouble with these silly mirrors, if I'm being honest. I much prefer air travel. But at least I made it. I was about five minutes away from starting my first year a month late," she giggled.

"Why a month?" I asked.

"That's when the first Visitor' Day is, when the wards reopen, of course," she explained as she picked up her bag and slung it gracefully over her shoulder. "Guess Penderghast is stuck with me now!" she beamed.

"Well, welcome," Griffin held his hand out. "I'm Griffin, this is Percy. He's a first year, too. I was just showing him to the dining hall, if you'd want to come with."

She shook his hand daintily, like she expected him to kiss it, then put her hand on her hip. "No need," she spoke confidently. "I know just where it is. I'm a legacy student." She grinned properly and strutted out into the hallway.

We followed after her until we reached a pair of ornate doors, red wood with golden inlay. Griffin stopped and turned to me. "Well, that's the end of Griffin's tour! Sorry it was kind of rushed. I've gotta go, but good luck with the rest of orientation!" he beamed quickly then rushed off down the hallway in a jog.

"Actually, if you could just-," but it was too late… he was gone. I turned towards the doors and took a deep breath in, letting it out when I decided to finally open the door. I tried to slip in without anyone noticing me, but the room was so overwhelming that I froze. The ceiling looked like it was painted with stars and the stained-glass windows that stood from floor to ceiling let in rainbow light that made the numerous dining tables glow. Tapestries were hanging on every wall and the floor was tiled like a huge mural. When I got my act together, I slowly closed the door, which made a few heads turn my way, but overall, I didn't draw a lot of attention. The Dean was at a podium on the far side of the hall speaking to the students. Her voice rang through the large room across the tall ceilings.

"Pst! Hey! Over here!" someone whispered. My head spun in his direction. He was a skinny kid with dark spikey hair and a denim jacket. I pointed to myself and furrowed my eyebrows. He nodded and waved me over to his table. To avoid drawing more attention, I ducked over and took the seat next to him. "Hey, you're late! I'm Zephyr. You can call me Zeph if you want. Everybody does."

I furrowed my eyebrows at his extreme excitement. "I'm Percy. Just Percy."

"So, _just Percy_, what's your Attunement?" he asked giddily.

Trying not to sound like an idiot that didn't belong there, I said, "I, er… I'm waitin' until tomorrow to know for sure. Don't want to jinx it?"

He was going to respond, but the Dean cleared her throat loudly. "In conclusion, I'd like to remind you all that this is an institution of higher learning, not a playground for children. Put in the work or go home." All around us, students started getting up and heading towards the doors.

"She's just full to the brim with the warm fuzzies, isn't she?" Zeph joked.

"Wait, that's it? I missed the entire thing!" I groaned, thinking that this was the only thing that would explain what the bloody hell was happening to me.

"Don't worry, Dean Goeffe's speeches are notoriously dry. Besides, I'm an _expert_ in listening and speaking at the same time," he grinned. "The gist is, the first years will line up at 7am in the foyer tomorrow to get assigned one of the staff as their examiner for placement tests." He pointed at the stage where a hairy, kind-faced man with horns was seated behind a table with a few other teachers. When he stood up, I noticed that he had goat legs…

"Crikey! He's…," I said mostly to myself.

"Super tall! I know! I asked him already and the answer is over seven feet!" Zeph looked way too excited.

"I was goin' to say a satyr, but yeah, that, too," I mumbled as he got up and motioned for me to follow him.

As we followed the crowd out of the hall, Zeph said, "Classes will start after all the freshmen have been placed, and your schedule will be given to you then as well."

"So… What do we do now?" I asked, honestly gormless.

"Basically, the rest of the day is free. My roommate and I have a fun evening of bonding and laying out house rules ahead of us," he was way too happy at the idea of that.

We followed the crowd out onto the grounds, but I lost Zeph somewhere. _Er… now what?_ I looked around, hoping I'd find him or Griffin…

"Hey, Percy!" a familiarly soothing voice made me turn around. Griffin was coming from the bridge over the pond. "You survived orientation! How was it? As boring as last year's?"

"I wouldn't know… I wasn't at last year's… but this was really interestin'. Well, not the actual speech, since I missed most of that," I babbled. "But I saw a satyr and I think I made a new friend. It's all so much considerin' where I was this mornin'…" As the words left my mouth, I remembered… _WHAT THE BLEEDING HELL AM I DOIN' HERE?!_

"Are you okay?" Griffin put his hand on my shoulder when he noticed my internal freak out.

I forced a laugh. "Yeah, no. I'm fine. Just, er, first day jitters, I suppose… It's all a bit overwhelmin'."

"Hey, it's going to be okay. If it makes you feel any better, you're really bright," he smiled.

I snorted. "I think my primary teacher told me that once."

He took his hand back. "No, I mean like, inside. I can feel your energy through the ground. I felt it as soon as you stepped onto campus, actually."

"Really? What did I… feel like?"

"Hmm, it felt like taking your first sip of a hot drink that's just cooled down. The kinda warm you get all over your body, you know?" he tried to describe.

I eyeballed him. "That's an odd thing to say."

"Is it? Maybe I'm just kind of a weird guy," he laughed, completely unphased. "It gets better, you know. My first day here was _awful_! I didn't really know anyone at first, but I figured that thanks to my Thief scholarship, I'd at least have my teammates, and then, next thing I know, I'm running naked across the lawn chasing the clothes my captain magicked to life while I was in the showers," he looked devastated at the memory.

I tried not to laugh. "No!" I mused.

"My point is, that day sucked, but there isn't a single moment since then that I regret coming here," he finally managed to reassure me. "Especially not now."

"Yeah, maybe it's not the worst thing that this is where I ended up," I said. "At least it's interestin' here," I mumbled.

"One thing I've learned in my time here is that if something happens to you, good or bad, it happened for a reason," he put his hand on my shoulder again. "I think you're _meant_ to be here." He grinned slyly. "I've got an idea. I could really use your help with something if you're up for it. If anything, it might make for a good distraction."

"Oh? What could you possibly need _my_ help for?" I asked with a laugh.

"There's this thing I lost last year. I must have missed it while I was packing up my dorm room, but I'm pretty sure I know where it is now," he started. "Still, it's gonna be hard to spot and an extra set of eyes would be fantastic. Do you wanna help me try and find it?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not? You were the first friendly face I met here. The least I can do is lend a hand with this."

"Awesome! I have a feeling you're going to like this," he grinned slyly again.

He led me up to the third floor of the main building. All of the hallways in that building look the same… The same green carpet, the same vintage pendant lights hanging from the arched ceiling, the same number of wooden doors… He finally stopped at the end of the hall… at a dead end.

"If this is where your lost item is, it shouldn't be too hard to find, considerin' there's nothin' here," I stated blandly, looking at the tapestry hanging from the wall. It had a giant letter P on it, just like the crest on the carpet, but there were several pie slices of colour behind it, instead of it being all green.

"Hang on a second," he grinned wildly before pressing his palms together. He moved his hands back and forth in front of the wall, like he was wiping steam from a mirror, only instead of seeing yourself more clearly, a door suddenly came into view.

"How did you do that? There was a wall… and now…"

He chuckled at my ignorance. "Invisibility wards are pretty basic. The key is knowing where to look. Now watch this," he clenched his fists then pressed his knuckles together. "Here we go," he took a big breath and tapped the doorknob with two fingers from his left hand. The lock made a clicking sound and swung open.

"Did you just Alohomora the door?!" I froze. Harry Potter _must_ have been real if this shit was happening right before my eyes.

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Magical unlockin' spell?" I tried to clarify.

"Yeah, that spell's a little more challenging. Metal's usually tough to work with, but it's close to Earth, so I do alright," he explained. I shook my head in disbelief. People flying, magically unlocking things, MAGIC… I was definitely at Hogwarts…

Griffin opened the door, revealing a shambolic storage room filled with random objects, colourful knick-knacks, and shelves bending under the weight of their contents. To the left of me was a stuffed raven that cawed at me repeatedly. There was a path cleared, barely wide enough to get through, that Griffin was already halfway down starting to search.

"Wow… What is all of this?" I looked at everything. There was a bicycle, floating candles with purple flames, and a large spikey ball of metal shavings hovering in mid-air as well…

"This is a lost and found of sorts. Anything students forget on campus ends up in here. I think the professors put confiscated items in here too, hence the wards," he said, rustling through a bag on the floor. "The thing we're looking for is a silver ball, about the size of my fist, with an onyx button at the top."

"I see why you need the help…," I slowly started looking through the piles of junk on the shelves. A bell rang that caught me off guard. I jumped and looked around to find out what caused it. There was an eerie doll with a bell in her hand staring at me from a top shelf. She made eye contact with me before ringing it again. I shivered. "That's not unsettlin' at all…" I walked farther into the room to escape the creepy toy and spotted a jar full of shiny jagged ovals. "What are these?" I picked up the container.

"Dragon scales. I wonder what they're doing down here… that's a lot of money gone to waste," he stood and walked over to me to eye the scales.

"Findertook!" a voice screeched behind me. I jumped again, expecting to be caught and in trouble.

"Oh, ignore that thing. It's just going to spew nonsense at you," Griffin waved off the noise. My eyes finally followed my ears to a pendant on a table with a woman's profile carved into it.

Her mouth moved again. "Thibity!" she screeched.

"What language is that even?"

"Honestly, I don't have a clue. I'm guessing it was some kind of prank gift," he explained as he sifted through some boxes behind me. I kept looking around and found a unicycle in the corner.

"Please tell me magical unicycles are a thing," I laughed.

He chuckled. "Last year some kid thought he could enchant it to fly. The professors confiscated it after he fell off of it about three stories up," he explained. "Turns out unicycles don't like to be enchanted."

I laughed again and moved on. There was a box full of random bits 'n bobs that I started sorting through. I found an Egyptian scarab that was so brightly coloured that it was almost hypnotising. I'd studied a lot in secondary school about different polytheistic cultures. Since I'm named after Perseus, I decided it was probably best to know who he was and from there I spiralled into one of the only things that gave me a sense of purpose until now.

"Oh, I bet the professors used that for Attunement placement," Griffin's voice was suddenly proper close. I hadn't noticed him approach me. "Fire-Atts usually have a connection with scarabs, since they're a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god."

"Well, that does make sense," I turned it over in my hands, feeling a strange draw to it. It felt warm. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and put the scarab down. I walked farther down the aisle, squinting at the shelves. Something shiny caught my attention and drew me to a silver ball. "Hey, Griff, I found your… whatever this is."

"What? Nice! I knew inviting you along was a smart move," he beamed as he looked at the object in my hand. I slid my thumb over the onyx button and pressed it, causing several panels to pop out on all sides. It lit up the room in blues, purples, and pinks as the Milkyway galaxy was projected into the room.

"Blimey…," I was speechless. It was amazing.

"It's a star-tracker. It maps the rotation of the stars!" he explained. "They're a tool for Astroweavers mostly, but I found this one here a while ago."

I looked straight at him. "Astro… You what mate?"

"They maintain constellations, mostly. A lot of Air-Atts go into that field after graduation," he told me, seeming even closer to me than he was before.

"Is that what you want to do after Uni?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, Earth-Atts are a little more… grounded than that," he joked. "I'm thinking of majoring in natural preservation sciences. I just like having a star-tracker. It makes me feel bigger than myself, being able to see the stars so close in real time like this," he paused for a moment and looked up. "What do you think? Worth finding?"

"Yeah, this place is ace. Seriously, it's brilliant. Thanks for the invite," I smiled.

"No, thank_you_. I'm so bad at finding stuff. I never would have gotten this back without your help," he closed the orb and grinned up at me. "We should get out of here. I don't like to leave the ward on the door down for too long."

"Yeah, sure." We started towards the door through the skinny pathway. "Say, could you show me to the dorm? This campus is huge, and if I tried findin' it myself, I'd probably end up sleepin' on the front lawn." He laughed and nodded, but I was serious.

I followed him outside and around campus until we reached a big building with a sign out front that said "Fletchly Residence Halls."

"Here you go," he announced. "Once you get inside, someone'll help you find your room, I'm sure of it. Hey, and thanks again, Percy. I appreciate you helping me find my star-tracker."

I waved him off. "Think nothin' of it. You've helped me bunches today, I had to return the favour."

"See you around?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"See you around," I nodded, giving him a brief wave as he walked away. I turned towards the doors and took a deep breath. "Good luck, Perc," I told myself before walking into the dorm.

The lobby of the dorm looked like a hotel. There was a lounge and a reception desk and an open balcony above the lobby… It was nearly empty, save one upperclassman with a clipboard. She waved me over and asked if I needed help finding my room.

"Er…," I couldn't think of what to say… I wasn't going to have a room… I suddenly appeared in a pond… I was going to get caught for sure.

She cocked her head. "You can just tell me your last name and I'll point you in the right direction."

"Er," I repeated, "Miller." I held my breath as she skimmed her clipboard, sure I wouldn't be on it.

"Wait a minute," she frowned, and I could feel my soul leave my body.

"Alright, I confess… I'm not actually a-," I started.

She suddenly flipped the page over and said, "Here we go! Perseus Miller, first floor, room 108. Your roomie has been checked in since this morning." Her smile was huge. _You what mate?_

I slammed my hand to my chest and let out a longer breath than I'd intended. "Thank you," I said hastily and bolted down the hallway, trying to avoid any unnecessary questions. When I was around the corner, I leant against the wall for a second to catch up with what just happened. _I was on the list?! How?!_ _I thought this was all some enormous misunderstandin', but… MY BLOODY NAME WAS ON THE LIST!_ I composed myself and started down the hall, looking for 108. I could hear music, laughing, and other weird and random noises coming from behind some of the doors. Eventually, I found my room. I reached to open the door, but my hand didn't find anything. I looked down. There was _no doorknob_?! "Oh, come on. This place should come with an instruction manual…" I tried to lean my forehead against the door, but I fell straight through and stumbled into a room. "What the bleedin'-," I turned around to find the door closed behind me.

"It's you again!" a shrill voice came from the room. "Well, aren't I the lucky girl?" I spun back around and found the girl that had been stuck in the mirror.

"Right, yeah, from earlier… I sort of lost you in the dinin' hall… Shreya, right?" I tried to act as casually as possible, knowing full well she just saw me fall through the door.

"Yes, sorry about that. I had friends waiting, and, well, you know how that goes," she sat delicately on the sofa.

I nodded exaggeratedly. "Er, right, yeah, completely."

"I'm so pleased! I'll be a perfect roommate. I don't know what you've heard about me, but I assure you it's only partially true," she giggled and paused, either to breathe or for dramatic effect… I wasn't sure…

"I hear you get stuck in mirrors sometimes," I teased.

She blushed just a little bit and I could see her huff through her smile. She shook her head like she was shaking any negative words out of her mind. "I _was_ hoping my roommate would have a bit more panache in the style department, but being as trendy as me isn't easy," she gleamed.

I couldn't help but smile. "Oi. She dishes it out like a bossman."

She grinned back playfully. "I'm just kidding. You aren't completely devoid of style," she said, looking me over, "but you could still use a few pointers. Luckily, you have me to help you!" I raised an eyebrow, wondering if she was going to be this high-energy all the time. "Well, say something."

"I think you're even cuter than before," I stared down at her with a smirk as she batted her eyes at me.

"Oh, I like you already."

I snickered. "I think I'm gonna like you as well, but if you don't mind, I've had the worst day of me life so far, and could really use a second to just stop," I said, sitting on the arm of the sofa across from her and falling onto my back with a groan. The cushions were so soft I started sinking.

The place was like a tiny flat. There was a living room with two couches and a coffee table, a fireplace with blue fire, and floating candles near each side table where I would have normally put a lamp. The mantle had a large picture frame with the Penerghast crest in it and a statue of a sphinx. It was really homey for being so fancy.

"So, you said before that whatever I've heard about you is only 'partially true,'" I did air quotes.

She rolled her eyes. "I know you're thinking about me and Fifi's tiff at Mistry Inc.'s annual charity fashion show," she sighed.

"I… have no idea what any of that means," I said honestly.

"You know, the one with the lava rock runway?" she tried to 'refresh' my memory, but I was still out of the loop. It seemed dangerous to me. "it was all over the news a month ago, not to brag."

"I get a funny feelin' that if I tell you that I have no earthly idea who you are, you might just throw a wobbly," I squinted at her, hoping she wouldn't be one of _those_ people…

She was completely still for an entire minute. Then she smiled, but it looked painful. "Not. At. All. My family is only the number one purveyor of enchanted objects worldwide, but why would you know that?" she grumbled. "Besides… This was the whole point! To come to college, have new experiences, fly under the radar, become the person I want to be, you know?"

"Now _that_ I can relate to," I sat up, finally engaged in this conversation. "Honestly, that's the same thing I was hopin' to get out of the Uni experience. Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, nothin' fits? Like the things that you think are gonna make you happy never do?"

"Absolutely. It's how I felt all the time. Until I arrived here, of course," she stood up and sat next to me on the sofa.

I inched over for her and started unloading my emotional baggage, but she didn't seem to mind at all. "This mornin', I was at this uni I used to think was finally gonna be my place in the world, but it quickly became clear that it wasn't. Then I got here and, yeah, it's a bit odd and a bit harder to believe, but for the first time somethin' feels right. And now it's… all gonna be taken away…," I trailed off, remembering that I _didn't_ actually belong there, and that I was going to get caught eventually.

"Taken away? I don't understand. Why would-," she paused.

I took a deep breath and decided to just tell her the truth. That I didn't have magic and that I had no idea where I was or if it was even real. Was I still dreaming? If I was, it was the longest dream I'd ever had. Maybe I was in a coma. "I can't do magic!" I stood up from the sofa and started pacing around the room.

"What?" she stayed seated, but her eyes followed me as I made my laps.

"I was in my bathroom at 'ome and then there was somethin' strange in the mirror, and when I touched it, I just…," I threw my arms up in frustration, unable to explain it to myself, let alone someone else. I flopped back onto the couch. "I don't even know what to do now. I'm afraid of what will 'appen if I tell someone, but I know I can't _leave_." I turned to see Shreya's wide eyes. "Er… you're not gonna... erase my memory, or melt my brain, or anythin'?"

"I'll help you!" she grinned widely.

"You what? Why would you do that?" I asked, baffled. "I mean… Thank you. I thought the first person I told would, I dunno… light me on fire… Can you do that?"

She shrugged. "Well, _I_ certainly can, being a Fire-Att and all, but I won't," she smirked. "Part of the reason I came to college was to meet all different kinds of people, and _you_, Percy, are quite an interesting kind of person. But have you considered that there may be magic in you? Have you tried any?"

"Er, no? Well… there was that thing... with the door," I looked behind me.

She laughed. "No, no. The doors are enchanted to accept the tenant's genetic code. That wouldn't count." She leant forward and tapped her fingers on the coffee table, her eyes darting around the room. Suddenly, she jumped off of the couch and bounded over to the mantle. "I've got it! Come on, let's go before the shop closes."

"Wait, wait. Where are we goin'? I thought we couldn't leave campus," I objected, not wanting to be in even more trouble.

She pulled me off of the couch by my wrist and dragged me over to the other side of the room where there stood a door with nearly 12 doorknobs, each a different shape and size. "There are a few preselected places we're allowed to go. Like Penn Square, for example," she reached for a knob just as I noticed they were labelled.

"Shreya's room, Perseus' room, Penn Square… wait… Are you sayin' my room is in there?" This day was getting more and more bizarre.

"Sure. So is mine, and Penn Square, and the lake. That one opens up in a tree, though," she pointed to the knob for the lake. "It can be quite unpleasant if you run into a Berkspire."

"A what?" but before I got my answer, she turned the knob she'd had her hand on and swung the door open. We walked out into the middle of a town. There were vendors and stores lining the area. The ground was cobblestone, but there was a brick mural of a sun tiled into the main circle. "Woah…"

"Charming, right?" she gestured to the circle. "Welcome to Penn Square."

There was a stately woman with deep blue skin and tusks dragging a screaming toddler with impish horns past a magic toy store… Passed that was a pair of men with pointed ears and webbed hands debating over a beaded bracelet at a stall with a sign that just said "Charms."

"Is that vendor... sellin' heads?" I asked, pointing to a nearby booth with shrivelled human heads hanging from the eaves.

Before I got a response, she'd grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me down the street. "Yes, but you'll want to stay away from those unless you want to end up with a nasty curse," she finally said. "Come on, no time to waste! We need to get you something to help with that whole 'no magic' thing."

"And how exactly are we to go about fixin' that?" I raised my brow at her, not that she could see it while she was dragging me. She didn't replay for the rest of the journey, but she stopped suddenly, making me almost run into her. The store in front of us was labelled "Maison D'Yew" and a smaller sign in the window called it the "one stop shop for one stop shopping."

"Let's get inside and see if they have what we're looking for," she smiled and dragged me through the door.

"What _are_ we lookin' for?" I asked as the door closed behind me. The store was like a pawnshop of magical items. There were clothes, assorted trinkets, beakers of colourful liquids, and all manner of glowing, spinning, and rattling objects that moved on their own or had some sort of aura about them. "How are we supposed to find anythin' in here?"

"That's where I come in!" I chipper voice came from somewhere… behind the desk maybe? "Oh, um, just a second, please!" An overstocked pile of lamps near the corner shook and began to rattle off of each other. Soon candelabras and a few other light fixtures started to avalanche down from the top of the pile, landing awfully close to my feet. I tried to back up, but Shreya still had me by the wrist. I held my other arm up to block my face as a few started flying down at me, but the impact, or noise at least, I was expecting never happened. I opened my eyes and dropped my arm. "Sorry about that! I was organising some of the floghart's droppings we store under this armoire," the voice from before was suddenly behind me and the lamps in front of me were frozen in mid-air. I looked back at the girl. She was green with dark brown hair and vines wrapped up and down her arms and legs. She flicked her hand and the lamps and candelabras re-stacked themselves. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." The flowers in her hair seemed to open and close as her expression changed and the leaves along her arm vines danced like a breeze had struck them. I found myself staring at her. She was gorgeous. She gave me a gentle smile. "First time meeting a wood nymph? I'm Aster. I run this shop," she greeted me, holding out her hand.

I managed to get my wrist out of Shreya's vice grip and shook Aster's hand with both of mine. Her hand was soft, but felt like the polished wood of a freshly built bookcase. "I'm Percy," I managed to choke out. "You're beautiful," slipped out right after.

She beamed, her flowers looking bright and vibrant. "That's quite sweet of you to say, though, beauty is nothing but a mere construct. I guess the same thing could be said of us. We, too, were nothing but shapeless atoms once…," she looked behind me, as if something had caught her attention, and her green eyes turned black, the whites of her eyes becoming clouded. After a second, I noticed that she wasn't with us anymore.

"Er… Ms. Aster?" I moved my head a bit, wondering if I'd get her attention. Her hand felt limp in mine, but it gripped a bit harder than I'd expected.

"Interesting…," she whispered. Instantly, her eyes recoloured and her focus returned, flipping between Shreya and me. "Oh, it's you again! I was hoping you'd be back!" she beamed at her. _Are we gonna talk about this?_

"I'd assume so. I spent a minor fortune the last time I was here," Shreya laughed, completely disregarding what had just happened. "Listen, love, do you have any marbles? My friend here is worried about the first day of classes and wants a boost." _No? Alright..._

I looked between the two of them, but lingered on Aster as her eyes met mine. "Er, yeah… Anythin' would help."

Still holding my hand, she said, "So you're a Penderghast student, too? You both are so lucky!" Finally, she slipped out of my grasp and skipped behind the counter with the register. "I've been _begging_ Papa to let me go, but he's still bitter about all that wand business." She ducked behind the counter and, after a few seconds, came back up, coughing, with a dusty wooden box. The label said "Mistry Miracle Marbles" in gold letters. She gestured for me to look at it.

When I stepped forward, I gave Shreya a look. _Mistry is her surname, right?_ I opened the box and stared down at the four glowing orbs padded by purple satin. "Ace… What are they?"

Shreya took her spot next to me and pulled the clear orb out of the box. White smoke twisted around inside. "One of Mistry Inc.'s bestsellers. Each of these orbs contains enough magic to perform one spell per element," she put it back and pulled out the blue one. "They may be small, but they pack quite a punch. Like one very beautiful, very down-to-earth heiress we all know and love," she winked. She placed the orb in my palm and folded my fingers over it. "And this little guy is all yours."

"Forgive the question, but… why would magic people need somethin' like this?" I pondered aloud.

"You can use it instantly instead of taking the time to build a spell, _and_ it won't use up any of your own magic, so you can cast again immediately," she explained.

"They're the very best on the market," Aster mused. "Of course, they'll only work for the elements with which they correspond."

I looked closer at the blue smoke writing around like a restless ocean. It was almost hypnotising. The other two in the box were green and red. "So… how do you use it?"

"Ah, Aster, do you have any singles?" Shreya asked.

Aster dug through a draw in the counter then handed her a dusty blue orb. "It'll cost you, and I must insist you go outside to-," but it was too late. Shreya raised the marble up above her head, rolling it between her thumb and index finger. A raincloud appeared out of nowhere as the blue smoke disappeared and rain started falling heavily on all of our faces.

"See? It's easy," Shreya grinned.

"You Attuned never listen!" Aster shrieked, flicking water droplets off of her arms. Her leaves rustled angrily as she glared at my flatmate. She snapped her fingers and a strong wind blew the cloud out of the store, then managed to dry everything on the spot.

"Oh, don't be such a tenacious toad, Aster," Shreya rolled her eyes before turning to me. "What do you think, Percy? These will surely come in handy."

I gave Aster an apologetic look as she shuffled through some things on the counter to make sure they were dry. "These ought to at least help me go unnoticed until I can figure out what to do next," I bit my lip and searched for my wallet in my back pocket. "How much…," I pulled out what I thought they were worth and held it out to her. She and Shreya glanced at my hand then at me, then back to my hand. "Is that not enough?"

"Absolutely not," Aster grinned widely and giggled. "This money is completely worthless. Lucky for you, I can fetch a high price for it on the collector's market."

Guilt and embarrassment stabbed my soul. I needed to get out of there… _Why didn't Shreya tell me my money wasn't good here?!_ Shreya, seeing my humiliation, waved a quick goodbye to Aster and pushed me out of the store, box in hand. Before I knew it, I was back in the dorm.

Shreya flopped down onto the couch and beamed up at me. "So, now that you've got a bit of magic to take into battle, do you think you're ready to face tomorrow?"

"Honestly, I don't see how it'll matter after this Attunement placement thing… Seriously, Shreya, what am I gonna do?" I set the box down on the table and fell onto the couch next to her, my head in my hands.

Her arm wrapped around my shoulders as she leant into me. "You're going to get through this because _I'm_ going to help you. And I'm just too fabulous to fail," she held her chin up confidently. I snickered at her, which made her laugh.

Then something caught my eye over her shoulder. The mirror… there was something off… a shadow? Or a smudge? I squinted at it, swearing I saw it move. "Shreya, do you see that?" I pointed to where I was looking.

"Hm?" she turned around, puzzled at my sudden curiosity.

I stood up and walked around to the mirror, eyeing it closely to figure out where the shadow was coming from. I cocked my head a bit then… I saw him… the guy that had been in my dream _and_ my mirror at home. "Wait… that's…" He looked positively gutted. His eyes were mostly covered by his shaggy white bangs, but I could tell they were heavy and tired. He looked down at the shadow that had gotten my attention… and it was on _my_ side of the glass. "What-"

"Percy!" Shreya shouted, nearly knocking over the coffee table as she bolted to her feet.

I looked back at the shadow, but now it was red, like it was on fire… and it had a face… It hissed and I almost fell backwards. It sprang towards me and I only missed it by tripping over the couch arm. It flew over my head and towards the back wall. It hissed again as it redirected back at me. "Ah, bloody hell?!" I rolled out of the way and onto the floor then scrambled to my feet. Shreya looked utterly terrified. I instinctively stood directly in front of her, but when the shadow darted our direction, I didn't know what to do. I threw my hand up, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much when it hit me, but all I felt was warmth on my hand. A bright light flashed through the room, nearly blinding me. Some kind of energy shot from my hand and pierced straight through the shadow ball. "What… How…?!" I sputtered, unable to comprehend any of what was happening. I looked down at my hand as the light faded from the room, but my palm still glowed golden. The shadow was gone… but now there was a new problem… though… it didn't feel wrong… it felt calming… The energy pulsing through me felt as comforting as a warm blanket on a windy day. "What the bloody hell was that?!" I fumbled into the chair next to me, not taking my eyes off of my glowing hand.

"I… I don't know," Shreya was frozen in place, still in shock. After a few seconds, a proud smirk graced her face and her breathing was more controlled. "It looks like there may be hope for you yet."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Exam

The next morning, I woke up on the floor next to a bed that I didn't recognise. It wasn't my bed… which meant… _yesterday wasn't a dream._ I sat up and rubbed at my face, letting out my groan of confusion. _How the hell is this real?_ Though it wasn't my room, it did feel rather homey… like it was made for me. The bed sheets and carpet were blue, which contrasted the light maple wood of the bed frame and desk. There were shelves with books hanging along the wall, all of which were either magic related or seemed quite similar to books I had in my flat. There was even a copy of Magpie Murders, which I had acquired recently from a shabby bookstore near campus. _That's odd…_

I got dressed, though, I really only had the clothes I'd shown up in, so I suppose there wasn't much to change. I tentatively opened the door, looking for my new roommate, but she didn't appear to be there. She _had_ left a note on the coffee table… it told me that she'd gone ahead to breakfast and that I should follow. With a deep breath and a slight slap on the cheek, I stumbled out of my dorm and into the campus dining hall. The whole walk there, I couldn't get the image of that creepy shadow out of my mind.

When I entered the hall, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the mass of students rushing around from table to table. There was a buffet line against the far wall. That seemed like the place to start. I trudged tiredly over to the table. As I eyed the table, I noticed that the food didn't look quite right… The eggs were blue, the sausages looked like they were on fire, and what looked like it might have been milk was fizzing in the pitcher. Another thing that was odd, the food replaced itself as portions were taken by the students ahead of me.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this place," I mumbled, scratching at the back of my neck. I got in line and noticed Shreya a few places in front of me. The student in front of her was a tall, pink haired guy with tiny horns erupting from his temples.

"Oh, hey!" Shreya noticed me and flagged me over. I felt bad for cutting the line, but nobody seemed to care. "Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling after… you know?"

I let out a forced laugh. "Well, discoverin' that this whole time I've actually been a magician… wizard? Witch?"

"Attuned, actually," she giggled.

"Okay, _Attuned_," I corrected myself. "I'm basically feelin' all the emotions at once. Weird, excited, confused, scared," I explained. "I mean… what _was_ that shadow thing that attacked us last night?"

Shreya gave me a sharp look when she noticed that a few of the students had turned their heads toward us. "Maybe don't tell the whole school about it!" she whispered with a hint of irritation on her voice. "We don't know for sure what that thing was… or what any of this means."

"Keep quiet? Fine… I guess we can table it for now," I reluctantly agreed, suddenly noticing how uncomfortable the stares were. "I'm just," I lowered my voice. "Honestly, I'm freakin' out a bit."

She frowned at me. "And I totally get that, but for now, let's keep this between us while we figure it out. Besides, I don't actually _know_ what that thing was. I tried doing some research last night, but I came up utterly short."

The line moved forward quicker than I thought it would, which only made me remember how tired I was. "Ugh, I'm knackered. I basically passed out after… the _thing_ last night, which means I got, what? Two hundred hours of sleep… So why does it feel like I've been hit by a bus?" I groaned. "And I'm _so_ hungry. I could eat an entire pizza shop by myself."

She snickered. "You are _so_ Tuneless, it's adorable."

"Why does that feel like an insult?" I retorted.

"Magic uses up a _ton_ of energy. Especially when you cast whatever crazy powerful spell that was last night," she explained. "To be perfectly honest, I've never in my _life_ seen casting that looked like that."

"What are you sayin'?" I asked, completely puzzled.

She grinned. "I'm _saying_ that whatever spell you shot off last night was packing some insane energies, Mr. 'Woe is me, I have no magic,'" she mocked. "So, you're starving because that blast sucked all of the food out of you, essentially." Her face suddenly got serious. "This is probably the only time you'll hear me say this… but… you should…," she grimaced, "_carboload_." She whispered the last word like it was sacrilege, then immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

I cracked. "Good to know. Thanks, Shreya." I was barely able to contain my smile as we finally reached the table. My eyes couldn't take in how much grub there was. There were crystal fruits, tarts shaped like cats and toads, and a whole roasted pig, which honestly made me a little uneasy. Those fruit did look good, though.

"_Behold!"_ Shreya lifted her arms like she was presenting the feast to me. "The miracle of a magic breakfast! Covers the entire food pyramid, and everything in between."

Right in front of me was something that _looked_ like alphabet cereal, but the letters rearranged themselves frequently and whatever liquid they were in was green. "What… is this?"

"Prophecy O's," she told me. "They're more like fortune cookie fortunes than actual prophecies, but they're still a lot of fun." Next to that was a tray of blue fried eggs that looked like they had eyeballs in the yolk. "These are Yorba eggs," she picked up a plate and added it to her tray. "They're my favourite. They scream when you eat them, but you get over it once you taste the rich, gooey deliciousness," she gave me a huge smile, like it was the only thing worth trying. Just passed the eggs sat a tray of sausage links that were still on fire, though there was no burner under them. "These are dragon links, sausages cooked over dragon flame. Be careful. They're very spicy."

I picked up a plate of the links, thinking that they seemed like the only food there that looked remotely normal. "All this food looks so… interestin'," I chose my words carefully as I added what looked like a glass kiwi to my tray. We found an empty round table with three chairs over in the corner. I took a minute to watch Shreya eat her screaming eggs before gathering up the courage to eat anything… not that I needed the motivation… I was _starving_. I stabbed one of the links with my fork and was about to yam when Shreya held her hand out to stop me.

"Wait! Seriously, Percy, maybe you should start with a nibble!" she said urgently.

I smirked. "I was born to eat spicy food. I can take it," I said cockily, shoving almost half of the link into my mouth. I felt the tingles immediately, wondering for just a split second if maybe I should have taken her advice. It felt like I'd just emptied a shaker of ground scorpion pepper into my throat. I could _see_ the steam coming out of my nose and tried to breathe through it, like one would normally do, but my throat was literally on fire. I let out what I thought was going to be a belch, but turned into _actual_ fire escaping my lips.

Shreya was in tears laughing at me. "That's why they're called Dragon links," she said, trying to compose herself.

I swallowed hard. "It's not… so bad… once you've burned off the top layer of your tongue," I panted. It didn't stop me, though. I ate the next two and a half links with ease before desperately digging into that kiwi, which was sickeningly sweet.

"Percy! So, we meet again!" the kid from yesterday slid into our empty seat. "You look like you're settling in well."

"Zeph, right?" I asked. When he nodded, I replied, "Tryin' my best."

He turned to Shreya with a shameless grin. "And _you_ must be one of the infamous Mistry sisters," he wiggled his eyebrows. "I was expecting someone wearing expensive clothes, covered head to toe in diamonds. I'm Zeph, by the way. It's short for Zephyr."

Shreya rolled her eyes with a smile. "Nice to meet you, and sorry to disappoint. I left my diamond-encrusted onesie at home."

When they got their giggles out and my throat wasn't dying anymore, I leaned in and said, "Okay, there's no-one else around. So, about the thing last night…"

"Percy! Do you really think we should be talking about this _here_?" she whispered, shooting a side glance at Zeph.

He rolled his eyes. "I can go if you want…" I squinted at him, giving him a thorough look-over to see if he seemed trustworthy. "Listen, I know we don't know each other that well, but I am _great_ at keeping secrets," he put his palm flat on the table.

I looked at Shreya. "He might have some insight that could help… The more heads the better, right?"

She let out a sigh. "Still, I'd feel more comfortable if we discussed it away from prying ears."

"Why don't we go back to the dorm then?" I suggested. "The exam's not supposed to start for nearly an hour anyway." She shook her head and the three of us headed back to our room.

We actually ended up in my room somehow, but I didn't mind since I hadn't settled in at all. It's not like it was my flat, which was a bit of a mess all the time. I sat at the desk and looked around, still utterly stunned that this was apparently my room. "I don't know if I'll ever get over how ace this place is."

Shreya was snooping around in a matter of seconds. "I guess it's not too shabby. Though, the closet space is _abysmal_," she scoffed as she slid the door to my closet closed.

"You could always use the desk for extra storage space. What else would you use it for?" Zeph plopped onto the bed.

"Um… studyin'?" I suggested, thinking that was quite obvious.

Shreya rolled her eyes and sat next to Zeph. "Please. It's 2018. You're telling me you don't study on your bed?"

I shook my head. "No. I've always made it a habit to have a clear study station." They both looked at me like I'd lost my head.

Zeph leaned back on his elbows to look around Shreya. "Okay, enough idle chatter. What's going on that's oh-so-secret?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Shreya turned to me, biting her lip and giving me an eye. "I spent half the night researching the creature that attacked you, but I couldn't find _anything_!" she grunted.

"Hold on, you were attacked?" Zeph shot up. "Are you okay? That must've been terrifying!"

I shrugged. "I handled it pretty well. All things considered, I kept my head about me… even though that thing was super weird… like a small angry ball of smoke…," I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms.

"Hmm. It kind of sounds like a Follower," Zeph said. "They're basically harmless little wisps of smoke sent to terrorize people as a prank."

"This was no prank," I narrowed my eyes as I stared down the desk drawers, "or if it was, it was a pretty shitty one."

"Actually, I-," Shreya started, but she bit her lip to stop herself. "Never mind. You're probably right."

Zeph smiled at me. "I don't suppose you've made any enemies in the last, oh, twenty-four hours or so, Percy?"

I shrugged again. "I've only _been_ here for the last twenty-four hours or so, but I haven't had any undesirable encounters…," I trailed off, thinking of the day before. There was only one person who even gave me a bad look, but I hadn't _done_ anything to him… "Maybe one?"

"Well, there you have it. That's probably your prankster," he grinned, completely satisfied with himself, though I didn't think that guy… Beckett… gave off the prankster vibe… then again, I was new to this world, so maybe things were different here. "But since that case is closed for now, onto a more important topic! Our first day!"

I sat up straight. "Oh yeah, do I, um, need an owl or a wand or somethin'? I feel under equipped."

Shreya covered her eyes with her hands. "I am so embarrassed to be near you right now."

Zeph laughed. "You don't need anything. Today you're going to take your Attunement placement test _and_ you'll get to go to your first class."

Shreya stood up and straightened her skirt. "I personally can't wait to learn some transmutation spells. Percy, why don't you get dressed so we can head down?"

I looked down at myself and back up at her, shaking my head. "You know my situation. These are literally the only clothes I have." I didn't think I looked _bad_. Maybe I wasn't as pressed as I would have liked to have been, but it wasn't _bad_. I had on my favourite red plaid long-sleeve, my boy-band jeans (as my mum liked to call them), and a black t. I always wore two necklaces, a long black string with a bronze feather that I'd found at a fair and really liked, and a sun pendant on a silver chain that my mum told me I'd had when I was adopted.

Shreya looked like she'd have a fit. "Nope. No. Absolutely not. I've held my tongue for as long as I can, but I just can't let you make a fool of yourself any longer."

"Hey," I objected.

"Your outfit is… fine… I suppose… for the Attuneless world, but you're at Penderghast now," she continued. "You _must_ allow me to style you. It's your first day. Your societal debut, if you want to get technical!" she was pacing a bit, but stopped by the door. "I saw the perfect outfit at Maison D'Yew yesterday, and it's traditional black!" she slammed her fist into her open hand. "It was _the_ signature Attuned colour back in the day. You'll definitely make quite the splash in it," she turned to glare at me. "You're lucky I bought it." She stormed out and came back about a minute later with an armful of clothes. "Put this on!" she threw it at me. I held it up to look it over before setting it down on the desk and pulling my shirts off over my head. "Ugh! Wait for me to leave first!" she blushed and stormed back out. Zeph chuckled and followed after her.

It really was a dapper outfit, black slacks, black blazer, but the best thing was the broach. Instead of a tie, it had two golden scarab pins connected by two thin golden chains. I looked sick.

When I stepped out into the living area, Shreya stood instantly. "Yes! I'm glad you value the importance of a first impression! Especially because I already bought the outfit. You can just pay be back later."

"I guess that means I look good?" I laughed.

"Black is definitely your colour," Zeph nodded.

"As I knew it would be," Shreya circled me, inspecting every crease to make sure I was wearing it right. "You're going to be the second most stylish first year at Penderghast. After myself, of course."

Before I could thank them, a voice rung in my ears. "First years! Attention, please! We're ready to start the Attunement placement exams. Come down to the foyer to be assigned your examiner!" It was like a personal PSA.

"Uh, did you guys hear that, too?" I asked to make sure I wasn't mad.

"It's just a school-wide announcement. Not reason to fret," Shreya grabbed her handbag and started through the door to the hallway.

"Yes! I'm so pumped for this! Come on, Percy, let's go!" Zeph bounded after her, waving for me to follow.

Zeph was so far ahead of us when we got outside that we could take a minute to talk. Shreya put her hand on my shoulder and leaned closely to me. "Look, Percy. I know you're worried about whatever that thing was, so I'll tell you," she started in a low whisper. "I don't think it was a Follower. I did a _ton_ of research last night. Like, seriously, more than I do for class, and that was one of my potential options. In the end I had to rule it out. It just didn't fit what we saw last night."

"So that means…," I stopped and looked her in the eyes.

"Whatever attacked us is something… obscure. Something that's not easy to find," she said ominously.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or what?" Zeph yelled back up the hill at us. I put up my hand to tell him we'd be right there.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Whatever it is," she gave me a kind smile and started down the hill again.

After a bit of a walk down and back up to the main building, we ended up in the entry hall, where Dean Goeffe stood at the top of the first set of stairs and looked down upon the students below her.

"Does she ever smile?" I asked Zeph. "You'd think she hates her job or somethin'."

He smirked. "Uh, her job is keeping a bunch of post-adolescent magic-using youths alive. I _am_ one and I _still_ don't want that job."

"That's fair," I agreed, turning back to the main focus of the event. There were several long papers tacked to the far wall. Everyone was waiting in line to see which staff member they'd been paired with. I found my name under Professor Kontos' list, to meet in the greenhouse near that pond I arrived in.

"You got Kontos, too? Nice! And mine is right before yours. Walk over together?" Zeph's arm was around my shoulders and his voice was higher when he was excited.

"Sure," I agreed, trying to fight my way back through the crowd of kids that hadn't seen their names yet.

"I have to trudge all the way across campus to the clock tower for mine," Shreya appeared again and stood with a hand on her hip. "I'll catch up with you later, Percy, Zephyr," she said before strutting away the way she did.

We were right behind her, ready to head out to the field. I saw Griffin and gave him a brief wave before ducking out through the large front doors. I could hear his voice behind me. "Good luck, freshy!" I snorted.

"Hey, about earlier," Zeph started as we walked back down the hill. "Sorry if it felt like I was prying."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Shreya was just bein' cautious, but I know I can trust you. I just have a feelin' about it, and she knows she can trust you now, too."

"Still," he said, "I wish I could have been more help. It seems like you're going through a lot."

I laughed unintentionally. "You could say that… But I've got you and the famous Shreya Mistry in my corner now, so I think I'll be alright."

He beamed. "Shreya's something else, isn't she? Sharp as a knife, great sense of humour, and a stellar fashion sense. She's my kind of person."

"Sounds like someone's got a crush," I teased.

He waved his hand in front of his face. "Nah, it's not like that. I'm aro-ace, actually." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Aromantic and asexual," he explained. "Basically, I'm just not really into people romantically or sexually. I guess the best way to say it is, I'm just into people… friendically."

"Huh, I see. That's interestin'," I said. "I hope you didn't feel pressured into sharin' that."

He shook his head. "Not at all. I wanted to tell you. I'm done with being afraid of showing people who I really am. That's so high school Zeph," he said confidently. "Besides, I wanted you to know this little factoid about me, since it's obvious we're going to be the best of friends."

I raised a brow at him again. "What if I don't want to be your friend?" I teased.

He gasped playfully. "You should be _honoured_ to be my friend," he put a hand to his chest in mock shock.

"Well, I _suppose_ you do seem like go," I smirked. He beamed. As we walked across the lawn, he high-fived and waved to some people. "How do you know so many people?"

He was still all smiles. "Another one of my great, magical talents. I'm a total people person. Everyone wants a piece of this action!" he gestured to himself and did a little twirl.

I laughed. "It must be your otherworldly charm and man-of-mystery vibe."

He stopped and nodded. "I like the sound of that." His excitement returned quicker than it had faded. "Oh! I just thought of a fun game. It'll take us a while to cross campus, so… How 'bout this? You can ask me any question you want, and I'll answer with complete honesty, but only until we reach the greenhouse, kay?"

"I'm in, but be prepared. I am a killer with complicated questions," I joked.

"Hit me with your best shot. I'm an open book," he postured as we walked.

I thought for a second. "I hope you're ready, because I've got a real zinger." He did a come-at-me action. "What's your reason for comin' to Penderghast?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Because they offered me a scholarship." I chortled. "It was kind of crazy. I'd never really gotten good grades in high school, so my grandma was pretty resigned to me going somewhere local, but then I guess I totally nailed the interview because here I am!" he gestured to the campus.

"Have you given any thought as to what you want to do after?"

He shrugged, still smiling. "Sure, plenty. I'm just... not quite sure yet how Penderghast ties into that stuff, you know? I think I'd really like to spend time traveling. We went on a lot of vacations over the years and I always loved those. My grandma's pretty tight with her wallet, but she always saves up to take my sister and me on vacation every couple of years. She says it's important for young people to see what they can of the world while their knees still work," he laughed at himself.

"Anyone who appreciates the importance of a regular holiday schedule is a true hero," I said. "Your gran sounds ace."

"That's an understatement," he beamed. "She's incredible! She basically raised me and Ziomara when we were little."

"Your family is really into Z-names, huh?" I teased.

"Yeah, it's kind of a family tradition on my dad's side going all the way back to my great grandfather, Zeke," he informed me without any sense of holding back. He really was being completely honest. "After my great grandmother died, he remarried a water nymph and moved out to an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. Needless to say, none of us are quite sure what happened to him after that. What about your family?"

"I thought _I _was the one askin' the questions," I deflected. When he wouldn't stop staring at me, I sighed. "It's pretty small, really. Just me and my mum… and Aunt Rhonda, but she's crazy and I don't see her much," I forced a laugh. Thinking about my mum was hard.

"Don't worry. Having a big family isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes," his voice seemed calmer now, but I was too busy looking at my feet to check on his expression.

"I don't know about that. I'd love to have a siblin'," I said. "Sharin' that bond with someone? Seein' them go through all of life's biggest moments? I can't even imagine a relationship like that." I bit the inside of my cheek. All the family talk was making me remember how alone I was.

Zeph huffed. "It sounds great when you put it that way. Mostly, having a younger sibling is them threatening to tell on you and plotting how they're going to re-do your room when you go to college." As he spoke, I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a brother or sister. It seemed fun, even if they just bothered you all the time. "I wouldn't change a thing. My grandma and my sister got me through some pretty tough times."

After a pause I was able to get my selfish thoughts out of the forefront of my mind. I smiled up at him. "They must be pretty proud that you got accepted here."

He lit up. "You bet! My grandma has always had these grand ideas for my life, you know? She wants me to become a Tide Specialist like my grandpa."

"Like… ocean tides? Or like the laundry soap?"

He laughed. "Ocean tides. My grandpa was a real hero. Once, he saved a whole coastal village from extinction!" Suddenly, his chipper demeanour fell through. "I don't want to disappoint my grandma, but… I don't think I'll ever be a good enough Attuned to do something like that."

"Isn't that what school is for?" I asked. "Aren't we all here to learn how to be the best Attuned we can be? This is exactly the time to put in the work to achieve your goals, whatever those are."

He smiled again, making me feel accomplished. "Yeah, I guess you're right. For now, I'm just glad to be here, figuring it all out."

I noticed the greenhouse just ahead and tried to squeeze in one more question. "So, I noticed that you and Griffin are American, Shreya is from some high-class French family, and at least three other people I've met here and myself are English. Where are we?"

He cocked his head. "What does that even mean? We're at Penderghast, obviously."

"But-," I started, then realised that the door to the greenhouse was right in front of us.

"Looks like your time is up," he chuckled. "I only wish I had more time to ask _you_ some things. You seem chalked full of juicy secrets."

I let out a long breath. "Trust me, you couldn't handle all my secrets," I joked. "Maybe there's a reason there are things I'm not tellin'."

That answer didn't break his spirit at all. "Everyone's got stuff they feel they can't share, but all that matters to me is that you know you _can_ come to me if you want."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Uh… well…," I hesitated. "Zeph, if I tell you somethin', you can't tell _anyone_, alright?"

His brows pinched. "Yeah, of course, but you're kind of worrying me a little, Percy."

I pulled him away from the door to the other side of the pathway. After taking a deep breath, I told him about everything that had happened since I'd left the university the morning before. "I was in Bristol yesterday mornin' and now I'm here, and I'm goin' off my trolley because I can't do magic, but then, guess what? Turns out I can!" I felt my shoulders fall. It felt good to get that off my chest, but his reaction was a little less than favourable at first.

His jaw was dropped from the quick overload of information. "Woah, but… how did you get here? Someone _has_ to know there's been a mistake or something, right?"

"That's what I've been wonderin', but I have a room here that's linked to my genetic make-up or somethin' and I can suddenly do magic. I'm startin' to think it wasn't a mistake after all and that somebody wanted me here," I babbled.

"That's super spooky!" his jaw was still on the ground. "I can't believe all of that happened in the last twenty-four hours."

I took another big breath. "Talkin' about this is such a relief. Shreya was way too casual when I told her about this. I was _bloody bonkers_ yesterday."

"Rightly so!" he agreed. "Even in the magical world, that's a pretty weird origin story, but don't worry. I'll help you figure this out," he patted my shoulder.

"Thanks. I'm goin' to need all the help I can get. But," I paused and looked around before looking him square in the eyes, "you won't tell anyone, right?"

He did an X motion across his chest. "Cross my heart and really, really hope not to die, because I'm too young, gorgeous, and witty." His smile made me laugh. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go get told that I'm a Water-Att." He held up a finger, like this would only take a minute, and it really didn't take long at all. Within twenty minutes, he was skipping out of the door with a wide grin. "Well, surprise, surprise. I passed with flying colours! By which I mean I'm a Water-Att." He patted my shoulder again. "You're up!"

I froze. "Oh… thanks…" My stomach was in knots. I took a deep breath and stepped into the greenhouse. The entire room was filled with plants. Even the tables were covered. The glass was misted over and, in some places, cracked by vines growing up through the roof in the corners. Most of the plants were brightly coloured, some even gold or silver. "Woah… we have classes in here?"

"You most certainly will," a deep voice from the far side said. I looked to see the satyr man, Professor Kontos, standing next to a desk, well covered in vines. "Please, sit. Don't worry, this test will come as naturally to you as magic itself," he gestured towards the seat in front of him as he took his own. _Brilliant… because that's easy._ As soon as I sat down, he leaned in quite close to examine my features, like he was searching my face for some clue of my existence. "Your presence is certainly strong. The strongest I've felt in… quite a long while," he thought for a moment before sitting back up with a smile. "Yes, your potential must be fairly high." He clapped his large hands together, which startled me. "Now, just relax."

"I'm doin' my best, sir," I said tensely.

He laughed with a slight bleat, which made me smile a bit. "Pardon me," he cleared his throat. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Close your eyes and answer as honestly as you can."

I closed my eyes and listened to his voice as he spoke. He asked a series of seemingly irrelevant questions. It was clearly a personality test styled exam. After about six or seven questions, he asked one more, sounding a bit shocked by my results. When I opened my eyes, he was resting his head on his knuckles and staring passed my head, deep in thought.

"Hmm… This is quite interesting. Very interesting indeed," he spoke lowly to himself. "But if that's the case…," his brows shot up over his round glasses.

"Um… Sir?" I asked, trying to remind him that I was still there and proper confused.

"Hm? Ah, yes. I just need a moment to…," he stood abruptly and turned to dig through the books on the shelves behind him. He flung open a few books, rustled through some drawers, and sniffed a random potion before… "Aha!"

I jumped again. "Is… is somethin' wrong?"

He beamed down at me. "No, no. Certainly not. Just a bit unusual. Give me a second to check," he pulled out a small golden book from a shelf then slammed it open on his desk, running his fingers down a page. Finally, he looked up at me, a sparkle in his eyes. "I have a suspicion about you, Perseus," he said with a grin. "I'll just need one last test to be sure. Is that alright?"

"I guess so," I shrugged nervously.

He turned to the shelves again, this time pulling down an old, roughly carved wooden staff. He held it out for me to grab. "Stand, please," he said, ushering me up as I took the staff. It was heavy, but it fit perfectly in my hand. "Now, tap the staff on the ground, please, with as much force as you can muster," he instructed before taking a few steps back. I looked at the wood in my hand, a bit warry that it might break, but I did as he asked. With one arm, I slammed the staff into the dirt floor. A vibration from the tip of the staff rippled through the ground beneath me.

"Woah!" I took a step back myself as grass began to sprout up as if it were in a BBC documentary. It was thick, bright green grass, dotted with wildflowers. In the corners, vines began to crawl up from the ground and tangle around chairs and tables. I felt a warmth inside of me that I hadn't felt in… well ever, I think.

"As expected," Professor Kontos beamed as he looked upon my creation, gently kicking a vine away from his hoof. He took the staff from me and twirled it in his hand, the grass and vines receding with every spin. "Perfect. Marvellous, actually. Absolutely astounding," he muttered to himself as he put the staff away. I took my seat again, completely in awe of what I'd just done.

"Professor… what just happened?" I asked.

"It's just… well, you have no idea, do you?" he chuckled to himself.

"About what?" I pleaded. "Please, sir. You're startin' to freak me out a bit…"

He sat back into his chair and stared at me, that sparkle still in his eyes and an excited smile curling up under his moustache. "You, my dear boy, are Sun-Attuned."

"And that's good?" I assumed, sensing his glee.

He laughed again, the bleat heavier than the first time. "Yes, very good! And that's not all. You're also Attuned to Wood. It truly is astounding. Your potential is so high that it was difficult for me to get a clear reading."

"What do you mean by my 'potential'?" I tried to concentrate on his words, soaking in as much knowledge as I could.

He pointed to a poster behind him on the wall. It had various sizes of teacups. "Imagine that inside of you is a teacup, and imagine that the tea inside is magic," he began. "Some have a small teacup, 'less capacity' is the official term, while those with a larger capacity have a bigger cup, like the one here," he pointed between the two sizes, the latter looking more like a coffee mug than a teacup.

"So… you're sayin' I have a larger teacup," I simplified, trying to understand.

He beamed again. "Something like that. By my estimation, your 'teacup' looks something closer to this," he stood up and walked to the sink. When he came back, he slammed a large ale tankard onto the desk. This mug looked like it was made for a small giant, but with him being large in stature, it didn't surprise me that this was his glass size.

"So… I have a ton of potential and two Attunements? What does that mean?" I asked.

He sat back down he leaned towards me. "It _means_, Mr. Miller, that you might be one of the most powerful Attuned persons to ever grace these halls," he said bluntly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Spellbound

I was still sitting in the greenhouse with Professor Kontos. He'd just told me that I could be super powerful in a world I'd never been to before. I was rightfully freaking out.

"Th-that can't be right. Lots of people have two Attunements, right?" I asked, not thinking of myself at all in the light he put me in.

"It's certainly not uncommon, but it's your _potential_ that's really astounding," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up having a third Attunement at some point in your life."

I gave him a puzzled look. "You mean one might just appear someday?"

He nodded. "It's not a perfect science, Mr. Miller. Sometimes the readings are wrong, and sometimes Attuned grow into new powers over time." He pointed to another poster behind him. It was a chart of the elements: Sun and Moon on top; Wood and Metal just below; and Earth, Water, Air, and Fire on their own line at the bottom. "Generally speaking, an attuned at each tier will also gain an element from the tier below. Traditionally, second tier Attuned will have two specialties. For example, a Wood-Att may also have a mastery of Water."

"But… a Water-Att couldn't have a secondary, because there's no tier below them?" I inquired.

"Correct," he grinned. I looked back at the poster. Sun and Moon had a line connecting them and almost looked like they should have had something above even that, but nothing was there. "With practice and careful study, you could very well discover that you are even stronger than you currently appear to be."

I leaned all the way back in the chair and let out a deep breath, trying to process everything I'd just learnt about myself. "Wow, this doesn't seem real… That one person could be so powerful, I mean. And even more insane is that that person is _me_," I looked down at my hands, thinking of how much damage I could do and how many people would get hurt. It was a horrifying though.

He put his hands together in a diamond shape and looked me over, seeming to gauge my reaction. "You are rare _and_ powerful. Two components coveted by the wicked. Do me a favour, though, won't you, Perseus?"

I sat back up. "What's that, sir?"

"Remember," his eyes met mine with a strange intensity, "goodness rarely stands alone." He didn't look away for quite a while, his eyes piercing mine over his round glasses. After a minute more, he turned back to his desk, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen. He wrote my name then the words "Sun Attunement." Completely on its own, the paper filled itself in with times and class information. "It seems you've got a bit of time before your first class. It's never too early to start studying!" he beamed as he handed me my schedule.

"Wait, that's it? I feel like there's still so much I don't know!" I took the paper and stared down at it. I didn't understand half of the class names, but I guessed I'd figure it out.

"I'd be happy to answer your questions before my next appointment arrives," Professor Kontos offered.

"Oh, thank you, Professor. I'll try to be quick," I sat straight up and tried to get my thoughts settled.

He glanced at what I assumed was a clock on the wall, but it was a constellation map with a moon lazily flitting about. "I don't have long, but what little time I do have is yours. What is it that you want to know?"

I took a second to choose my words. "The thing is, sir, I was never… good at magic growin' up. We didn't talk about Attunements and stuff in my family, so this is all quite new to me."

He nodded. "Some families emphasize Attunements more to their children than others. Not knowing your is by no means a pitfall. You're not alone, Perseus. For many first years, this is their first formal exposure to the Attunement system."

I let out a sigh of relief, then thought about my next question. "I think I did some Sun magic the other day, but I wasn't _tryin'_ to do anythin'. I have no idea how it happened or what it means or… anythin'… So, I was wonderin', what kind of magic is easiest for me?"

"I'm sure you can make an educated guess there," he smiled.

"Magic that involves sunlight?"

"Correct. Spells related to warmth should come to you naturally, and you'll have an easier grasp over spells performed during daylight hours," he explained. "Your second Attunement also makes performing Wood spells easier. Your Sun Attunement should, in fact, give you an advantage using your Wood spells. Fire spells should come easily to you as well."

"That's sure goin' to come in handy," I smiled for the first time since I'd sat down. "So, what magic will I need to study more to be adequate at?"

He was quiet for a second. "Sun-Atts often find it more strenuous to preform magic at night, though, it varies with the difficulty of the spells themselves. Some elements typically associated with 'coolness,' such as Water and Metal, can also give Sun-Atts trouble."

"That doesn't mean I'll suck at them, will I?" I asked, a bit disappointed because metal and water are badass.

He bleated lightly. "An Attuned does not 'suck' at any kind of magic because magic is a core part of you," he said, grinning. "The difficulty comes from learning how to channel it. But that's why you're at school, is it not? To figure out your relationship with the magical energy residing within you."

I nodded. "This magical energy and I have a lot of catchin' up to do, that's for sure." I thought of my next question carefully. "How _do_ I study my Attunement? Could you teach me a sun spell right now?" I asked excitedly.

He let out a larger laugh. "I'm afraid I cannot. You'll be taking specialized lessons with Professor Swan, the Sun-Att advisor, later in the year."

"So, Professor Swan will teach me all the interesting stuff? Like how to keep the sun from settin' and creatin' endless summers?" I joked, half wondering if that was even possible.

He chuckled again. "Professor Swan will instruct you in how to tap into your magical potential. That involves directing it, strengthening it, and so forth. As for endless summers, those may be beyond what any one Attuned would be capable of. All summers must end."

I felt more relaxed listening to him laugh. "What does bein' a Sun-Att mean about me as a person?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, it would be a little over-simplistic to say that all Sun-Atts are characterized by the same set of traits, but you will often hear that Sun-Atts have an optimistic outlook on life, are very loyal, and are skilled at getting people to work together."

"Does bein' a Sun-Att mean I can boost people's moods as well?" I asked half-jokingly. "I know that's what Vitamin D does."

He grinned widely. "That is something one hears about Sun-Atts, yes. Sun-Atts are quite sensitive to their environments and tend to thrive only in the ones that are right for them," he said. "Oftentimes, Sun-Atts need to find their niche in order to bloom to their full potential."

I took a second to think about that answer. _It would explain a lot, really._ "Professor, how rare _is_ the Sun Attunement?"

"It is rather rare," he nodded to himself. "Having a rarer Attunement gives you a higher innate potential for magic in general, which simply means you should have an easier time grasping the elements below yours on the diagram."

I looked down at my hands again, remembering the burst of energy from the night before. "It's weird thinkin' that I have this much… power… inside me… but it definitely makes me feel pretty ace," I smiled, balling my fists excitedly. "Thank you, sir, for all the information, but I have another question. The secondary Attunement, could you tell me more about that?"

"Wood-Atts are most known for their kindness," his eyes softened. "They see the best in those around them and have a gentle, patient nature. These Attuned always strive to reach their full potential, but lack the necessary persistence, often relying on friends to help them finish tasks," he gave an almost textbook reply. "Though quite genial, their emotions can overwhelm and overtake in interactions with others. Be wary of your moods when practicing magic."

My jaw dropped. "I… I feel like an open book."

"Don't worry, Perseus. Learning your Attunement is only the first step in the puzzle of Attuned magic!" he beamed and leaned back in his chair. "The ability to do magic is innate, and all Attuned have at least one Attunement because your potential needs a way to be channelled. Attunements are why some Attuned have an easier time with Fire magic, or Water magic, or whichever element or elements the favour."

"So, all Attunements are just the natural ways your magical potential manifests itself," I summarised.

He nodded. "Now, the _why_ behind this manifestation is still poorly understood. Most theorists believe Attunement relates to the way numerous cultures tie elements to personality traits," he said. "This is why Attunement testing asks students to respond to questions and scenarios quickly and honestly, without time for overthinking."

I put my hand to my chin. "That makes sense. The magic I performed happened when I needed it, not because I was tryin' to make it happen." A knock on the door broke my concentration. A red-faced boy was peeking his head through the glass. "Wait, Professor, I have one more quick question," I sat at the end of my chair. "I was wonderin', what's your Attunement, Professor?"

He grinned again, standing from his chair. I did the same and slowly followed him to the door. "Well, as a satyr, I don't have an Attunement the same way you do."

"So how do you channel your magic?"

"Channelling innate magical potential through elements is useful for humans because elements have been a cornerstone of human culture," he said. "Satyrs are heavily tied to our natural surroundings, living in the mountains or forests, so we have different methods of channelling our magic, and while not all humans are Attuned, all satyrs have innate magical potential."

"Mint," I beamed, loving this lesson.

"Yes, and our magic is performed musically," he looked as excited as I was. "We tend to channel our power using pan flutes and we have more success this way."

"So, your spells are usually accompanied with music? That sounds extra magical to me," I could feel the giddiness bubbling up in me. I wanted to see satyr magic.

"This is why I don't teach Spellwork courses, but more natural disciplines instead," he explained. The boy knocked again, a bit harder this time. "Well, it looks like our time is up. I hope your inquisitive mind isn't going to make you late for your next class."

I looked down at my schedule quickly. "Don't worry, sir. I have plenty of time. Thank you for answerin' all my questions, Professor. I'm sorry for takin' up so much of your time."

His grin was warm and wide. "Not at all. Thank you for asking. I look forward to having you in class, Perseus."

"Me, too," I grinned before dodging around the red boy and running excitedly up the hill back to the foyer. I was so excited, in fact, that I ran right into Griffin when I burst through the doors. "Sorry!"

"Hey! There he is!" he held his hands out to stabilise me. "How'd the exam go?"

"Bloody brilliant! I-," I started, but was cut off by a loud voice.

"Percy!" rang from across the hall. Zeph ran down the stairs to us, Shreya lagging behind him by a metre or so. When he got to us, he froze. "You… You're Griffin Langley… A second year and the Thief team's star player!" he bounced. "I'm Zeph, short for Zephyr." His eyes were filled with stars as he took Griffin's hand and shook it wildly.

Griffin laughed. "Nice to meet you."

"Yes, yes, we're all friends now. Blah, blah," Shreya finally got to us and immediately took my hands in hers, jumping with excitement as much as Zeph was for Griffin. "So? What's the verdict?"

"I'm… I'm a Sun-Att," I stuttered. For almost a minute, nobody said anything. Three sets of eyes burned into me, making me blush with embarrassment.

"You're a _SUN-ATT_?" Griffin barely got out, a look of pure disbelief on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah, and apparently a Wood-Att, too, I guess."

Griffin let out a low, impressed whistle. "Two Attunements, huh?"

I beamed up at him. "I know! I can barely believe it myself, especially since I didn't even know I _was_ Attuned… I mean, that I was such a powerful Attuned," I quickly saved myself from having to explain my origins all over again.

"You are seriously the first Sun-Att I've ever met in my _whole life_," Zeph's fangirling switched from Griffin to me in a sadly scarce amount of time.

"Kontos even said I may end up havin' a third one day," the thought made me nervous, but burn with excitement.

"Oh, man. Being a third tier must be so cool! I'm so jealous!" Zeph huffed.

"It's really not that impressive," I said, not wanting to think of myself in that kind of spotlight.

Shreya lightly hit my shoulder. "Nonsense, Percy! Sun and Moon-Atts are just about as powerful as they come. Well, as powerful as you _can_ be these days."

"Your friend's right," Griffin chimed in. "It's pretty damn cool. Don't be so modest."

"I'm just glad we're through all that," Zeph finally got his natural giddiness back. "Not that there was ever any question of what mine would be, but it's still kind of nerve-wreckin'."

"Now that we're done with placements, who's ready for class?" I beamed. "I seriously cannot wait to learn my first spell." I looked between the three of them, but all I got were head shakes.

"Nuh-uh, no way! We've got a couple more hours before we're slaves to the curriculum for a whole year," Griffin objected. "We've gotta enjoy it while we can!"

"I agree!" Zeph piped up. "We should celebrate getting our official Attunements!"

"I'm sure a toned, impressive second year like Griffin here has better things to do than hang with a group of first years," Shreya popped Zeph's bubble.

Griffin pursed his lips for a second. "This might make me sound kind of lame, but I really don't. What did you have in mind?"

"Ooh, what about that new Mysterium in Penn Square?" she suggested eagerly. "There was an article about it in the last issue of _Fyre_, and I've been dying to check it out."

I shrugged. "I don't know, guys. Shouldn't we use this time to study or somethin'?" Shreya and Zeph shared a look before they rushed me, each grabbing an arm as they dragged me out of the building without saying a word. "Hey!" I objected.

"Percy, what could you possibly need to know before the very first class of the year?" Shreya rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Come on, live a little! You won't regret it," Griffin helped push me from behind as I was dragged to the dorm.

After a bit more coaxing, they got me to Penn Square. I was still a bit ruffled, but I was going to go along with it. "So, where is this 'Mysterium'?"

"I'm pretty sure it's somewhere behind that wall of people over there," Zeph pointed at a line that seemed to wind around two blocks.

"Well, there goes that idea," Griffin sighed, defeated.

Shreya flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Never mind the line, my dear friends. Follow me," she waved to us over her shoulder as she walked towards and _passed_ all the people in line, making an A line for the bouncer.

"Line's back there, kids," he said. He was wearing thick bronze-plated armour with a bull's head for a helmet.

Shreya flashed her money-winning grin. "I think you'll find that my friends and I are in the right place," she said confidently.

"I'm sure the people in line behind you would disagree," he said, sounding angry. Behind us, whispers of what was going on were beginning to spread. I heard the name Mistry dropped quite a few times.

"And I'm _sure_ your boss would be _very_ displeased to hear you turned Shreya Mistry away at the door," she retorted.

In an instant, his demeanour changed. "Mistry? Excuse me, Miss, of course," he said, bowing and moving out of the way. Shreya strutted passed, but we were blocked again.

"As for the rest of you, I'm afraid I can't let you in," he said.

"What? But-," Zeph tried to object, but he was too nice to pull it off.

"You've got to let us in!" Griff shouted.

"Yeah? And why's that?" the angry bouncer took a step towards him, posturing.

"We're her business partners," I took a step up and looked the bull-man in the eyes.

He huffed. "Oh really?" not believing us at all.

"Yeah, we're here… for a business meeting," Griffin looked at me, trying to go along with my lie.

I smirked. "We're lookin' for up and comin' businesses, like this Mysterium, for franchising opportunities, but if we really can't enter…," I trailed off, acting annoyed. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.

He looked between the crowd, us, and the irritated Shreya Mistry behind him. Finally, he moved aside. "Have a nice time, Miss Mistry," he said curtly.

"Thank you, I'm sure we will," she whipped her hair sassily and strutted into the building.

I narrowed my eyes at the bouncer. "Wise decision," I spoke lowly as I passed him, but when I got out of earshot, I couldn't help but laugh.

"What was that?" Griffin pulled my shoulder back. I wasn't sure if he was irritated or impressed.

"It worked, didn't it?" I shrugged with a laugh.

The room in front of us was _grand_. It had a similar architecture to that of the palaces in the Middle East, with intricately decorated hanging lanterns and ornate, plush cushions on the floor surrounding small, golden, round tables. Each table was crowded, and a lingering orange smoke filled the air.

"I can't believe you actually did that," Zeph was on my other shoulder.

"Seriously, Percy. He totally bought it," Griffin laughed.

I beamed. "What can I say? I've conned my way into a few heavily guarded clubs before," I posed jokingly.

"Have you really?" Zeph asked, starstruck.

I shook my head. "No, but I have snuck into a few pubs in my lifetime." Shreya flagged us over when the hostess began leading her to a table in the corner. "This place is so interesting." When we were sat at the table, I looked over at the table next to us. They were clustered around a lantern they'd pulled down. As the lit it, white smoke-filled bubbles began to surround them until I couldn't see them anymore. "So _this_ is a Mysterium? A place where the lanterns make bubbles?"

Griffin laughed. "They don't just make bubbles. They're all laced with potions that have different effects!"

"I went to one once and the smoke from our lantern played out an entire Shakespeare play," Zeph said. Three lanterns drifted down towards us, one green, another blue, and the last one grey.

"Percy, since it's your first time, you choose," Shreya nudged me with her elbow.

"Uh, okay, but how do I know which one to pick?" I asked, not sure if you could tell by colour.

"You don't!" Zeph bounced in his seat. "That's why it's called a Mysterium!"

"Um, I guess…," I grabbed the green one and it settled itself onto the table. Shreya lit it with a pinch of her fingers. "Here goes nothin'," I took a deep breath as _vines_ burst out of the lantern, each dotted with an assortment of flower buds. "Woah!" Within seconds, the Mysterium was gone and we were all standing in a wooded area, surrounded by vines. I was about to panic, but the blooming rose buds were so beautiful. Every time one opened, it would let out an instrument sound. After they were all opened, it sounded like a mini-symphony.

"Oh, I love this song!" Griffin gushed next to me.

"No! We need something more upbeat!" Zeph smiled mischievously. "Watch this!" he bent down to one of the flowers and started humming something. The bud he sang to slowly changed its tune and, eventually, the others caught on.

"Let's dance!" Shreya took my hands and spun me under her arm. Griffin kept a beat on his legs and Zeph started swinging his arms like a conductor. It was a lot of fun.

After a while, the illusion faded, and we were sitting back on the cushions in the Mysterium. Zeph was still flailing his arms and Shreya was still dancing around.

"That was awesome. Great idea coming here, Shreya," Griffin laughed. "Should we get another one?"

"Actually," Shreya sat back down and leaned forward on the table. "I think it's about time we got to know the mysterious upperclassman sweet Percy has so hastily befriended." The glint in her eye was sly. "How about a game of Snaps?"

"Oh, yes! I am so in," Zeph agreed as soon as he heard the word.

I put my hand up to ask a question. "And this game entails…?"

Griffin rolled his eyes. "It's basically an easy way to con people into telling you their deepest and darkest secrets," he explained.

Shreya waved him off. "He's being dramatic. Basically, on the count of three, you snap an element and the winner gets to ask the losers any question they want."

"Right," I gave her a look. "Snap… an element…"

Zeph stuck his hand out to me. "Here, watch." He gestured for the other two to join him. "Ready? One, two, three… Snap!" The three of them snapped their fingers all at once. A swirling ball of air appeared in both Griffin and Zephyr's palms. Shreya's palm had a mini-fireball.

"Ha! Fire always wins!" she gloated.

I was wide-eyed. "How… does that…," but before my question could be answered, Shreya jumped straight in, clearly having a goal.

"Now, what to ask," she thought for a moment. "I'm coming up short… Percy, you ask something. Make it juicy."

On the spot, I said the first thing that came to mind. "Okay then. Griff, Zeph, what are you most self-conscious of?"

Zeph leaned back, slapping the table lightly. "Oof. Really going for the jugular, huh?"

"Hey, Griffin said 'deepest and darkest'," I laughed.

Griffin tapped his thumb to his chin. "I guess for me, I'd have to say my work ethic. If I think people feel like I'm slacking off, it makes me really uncomfortable."

"Well, I don't know you that well, but I'd think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who'd say you were a slacker," Shreya looked shocked. "I mean, look at your muscle definition!" she leaned close to him and poked his biceps, making him laugh.

"Excuse her, she's got no filter and a natural disposition to flirt," I leaned into her teasingly. "What about you, Zeph?" He squirmed uncomfortably. "You don't have to hell us if you don't want to…"

"No, it's going to come out sometime. Might as well get ahead of it," he sighed, leaning closer to the table. "I have… one really short toe," he said, looking deeply ashamed. We all froze for a moment then exploded into laughter. "Guys, I'm serious. I can't even wear sandals!"

When she was able to breathe again, Shreya asked, "Should we go for another round? I feel like there's still so much to learn about Griffin."

"It'll have to be another time," he said, wiping away a single tear. "As much fun as it's been hanging out with you guys, I really gotta jet."

"You're leavin'? But there's still time before class," I cocked my head, curious where he'd be off to.

He beamed. "Oh, I know. There's this nearby waterfall I wanted to check out before I really have to buckle down for school."

Shreya started gathering her things as well. "And _I_ just looked it up and saw that Du Monte's Mineral Spring and Resculpt has some openings this afternoon! I have to get a touch up."

"Do you think your street cred stretches far enough that they won't kick me out the second you leave?" Zeph asked, looking nervously around.

"They wouldn't dare, dear Zephyr," she gave him a reassuring smirk.

"Then I know where I'm staying!" he grinned.

"What about you, Percy?" Griffin asked as he and Shreya stood up. "I wouldn't mind the company if you'd like to come along."

Shreya rolled her eyes. "Ugh, that sounds sweaty. Why not come with me? They could probably schedule us both in, and you deserve to relax before classes start." She threw her back over her shoulder. "They have so many resculpts to choose from, and you would look so cute with a dimple in your chin."

I gave her a questioning look, now feeling a bit insecure about my chin. "No, I think I'll stay with Zeph. This place is too fun and there's so many lanterns left to try."

"You guys have fun and we'll see you back on campus," Zeph and I waved them off before pulling down another lantern.

About an hour later, we headed back to campus and split up for our classes. My first class was Spellwork 1A with Professor Englund. I slid into the first open seat I saw, which just so happened to be next to one Beckett Harrington.

He scoffed as soon as he saw me. "Oh, it's you again. The _Sun_-Att. How _impressive_," he spat.

I turned to him, narrowing my eyes a bit. "What's your problem?" then it hit me. "And how did you know I was a Sun-Att?"

He rolled his eyes. "I have my sources. It's amazing what you can learn from the professors during their free hours," he looked me up and down. "You don't look very impressive to me."

"Pardon me, and you are?" I raised my eyebrow at him, completely unimpressed by his whole act.

"Like you don't know," he rolled his eyes again, but when he saw that I really had no clue, his jaw nearly fell off. "I'm… Beckett _Harrington_," he stressed his surname, but that didn't make any difference to me.

"Excuse me!" a tall, dark-skinned man with a round face and a fancy necktie stood in the centre of the lecture hall. "I'm trying to start class here." Just then, I realised how loud we were. I pressed my lips closed and turned back to my notebook, avoiding Rich-pants McGee's glare. "In this class, you'll learn to preform basic spells based on the eight practical elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Metal, Wood, Sun, and Moon. Can anyone tell me where our ability to perform magic stems from? How about our late-comer? Mister…?"

"Miller, sir," I sat up straight. "Percy Miller." I collected my thoughts quickly and said, "Our magic ability is innate. It's somethin' that we're born with that we have to learn to focus."

Professor Englund grinned up at me. "Wonderful! Perfectly worded. Very nice, Mr. Miller."

"Percy," I mumbled under my breath, slouching back into the bench. It's not that I hated my name or anything, but Perseus and Miller sounded so formal.

"Each of you was born with these abilities," he continued. "Though of course, the capacity for magic can differ from person to person." I noticed from the corner of my eye that the posh guy was shooting daggers at me. I leaned forward on the desk, using my arm to block him out while I took notes with my left hand. "Simply put, every person in this room has the ability to perform _most_ spells, however, the level of difficulty each Attuned can handle may differ. Now, let's not waste any more time! We'll start today by learning a simple spell, conjuring fire and bending it to our will." He rolled up his sleeves and shook his arms out with a flourish, reminding me of when my band instructor in secondary school would have us stretch out before we played. He closed his eyes and brought his palms together. "The first step, as always, is to _focus_. A lack of focus is the number one cause of spells going awry," he explained. "For the creation of fire, you'll need to imagine a light or heat source and some kindling. It's important to start with a strong, simple base. There's a reason we build up to more complex ideas. Mainly to-"

"To conserve magic and energy by using smaller pieces to achieve the same end," Harrington blurted out, making me embarrassed _for_ him. If I'd done that in school, I'd have gotten scolded. "It's the building block method. We were taught it as _children_," he stressed the word and shot me a pompous smirk.

"I love the enthusiasm, but I'm gonna need a hand next time, Mr. Harrington," the professor said. I snickered. "That is correct. Now, once we've focused and built our magical foundation," he snapped his fingers and a flame lit on his fingertip, like a candle wick. _Wicked_. "Conjuring fire is a _snap_." I stared down excitedly. "From there, controlling the flame is just a matter of controlling your breathing. I'll be coming around to check on you. Feel free to help each other, but remember, using offensive magic on another student is strictly prohibited."

I sat up straight and closed my eyes, clearing my thoughts and concentrating on my breathing. _Buildin' blocks, buildin' blocks, kindlin'…_ I thought about throwing logs on the fire back home with Mum. Streaks of light crossed my eyelids. I thought about the brown of the wood and latched onto it. I could feel a warmth coming from my core. Next was a heat source. I thought about the matches I used to start the fire at home in the winter. A red streak sped across my vision, but I caught that in my mind, too, letting the streaks become the image of my fireplace. It felt right. I snapped my fingers and opened my eyes. Sure enough, I had turned my finger into a living candle. _Ace!_ I couldn't keep myself from smiling. _Breathe… focus on your breath_.

"_Wow,_ congratulations," Beckett mocked. "That must have been _so_ hard for you."

"Could you not, please? I'm tryin' to concentrate," I glared at him. The flamed flickered on my finger, getting a bit larger than I'd intended. _BREATHE!_

"Clearly," he rolled his eyes. I noticed his flame already floating lazily above his head. _Ugh._ _Don't let him get to you. Just focus._ Professor Englund watched Beckett preform his spell flawlessly, then both of them turned to me. _No pressure, Perc._

"Good job, Mr. Miller. Now just bend it to your will," he said. I closed my eyes again, focusing on making the fire behave. "Oh, I think that's fine, Mr. Miller. You can stop now!"

I opened my eyes and saw a massive fireball in my hand, growing steadily. "Oh god! I'm sorry!" as soon as my concentration faltered, the ball reduced back down to its original lick of a flame.

"Not quite what I had in mind, but it certainly counts as bending the flame to your will," his eyes were wide until he looked back down at his clipboard. "With your marks combined," he mumbled to himself, tapping his pen on his bottom lip. "A very commendable score. A little bit of elbow grease and I think you're going to take this class by storm. I look forward to the rest of the year," he beamed at me before continuing onto the next student. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I actually did it!" I said triumphantly to myself. "I can't believe this."

"Yes, yes, congratulations. You managed a spell for babies. You really are quite the Attuned," Beckett mocked again. I turned towards him, making eye contact. I could feel my eye twitch a little. I noticed the flame growing with my irritation. _Don't burn the buildin' down, don't burn the buildin' down. The last thing I need is to get expelled for doin' somethin' stupid. BREATHE!_ I finally got my shit together, but Beckett kept pushing. "Uh-oh. Looks like your flame's dwindling. Better focus up. It's harder to keep control when you're distracted." I turned away from him, putting my hand up to block him again. I felt like a grade schooler all over again. "You know, I thought I'd be more impressed when I met my first Sun-Att. Maybe Professor Kontos got it wrong…"

"Can you just _stuff it_?!" I hissed at him. By the time I'd realised what I'd done, it was too late. The second I'd turned to yell at him, the fireball left my finger and started towards Beckett's face. "Oh no," I panicked.

"Hey!" he barely swatted the air before my fireball got to him, sending it right back at me. I ducked, watching it fly over my head… straight towards the professor… _Oh, I am so doomed._ "Wait, I-"

Professor Englund ducked just in the nick of time, but he was not happy when he watched it slam into the stone wall behind him. He straightened up and waved his hand over the wall, putting out the flames instantly. "Well, that was definitely one way to start off the year."

I stood up as his eyes aimed towards us. "I'm sorry professor! It was my fault! I didn't mean to throw it _at_ him. I just… lost control of it, I guess."

"Of course it's his fault!" Beckett stood behind me angrily.

"Oh, come on, Beckett. You've totally got this weird vendetta against me! What did I ever do to you?!" I shouted back at him.

"I have no clue what you're rambling on about!" he looked down his nose at me, his lip curling up in a sneer. "I swear, Professor Englund, I know every rule of this school forward and backward, and I would never break-"

"But unfortunately, Mr. Harrington, you _did_," the professor looked _so_ disappointed. It actually made me feel a bit better. Beckett turned pink all over and looked lost for words. I tried _so_ hard not to snicker… I _tried. _"At this point, it's out of my hands. You'll both have to go see Dean Goeffe." I don't know if it was his words or the classes murmuring about our punishment that made my heart sink, but I felt like I was in some real deep shit.

"B-but, Sir!" Beckett objected. "I didn't… He… You can't!"

"It's no longer up to me," he said. "You'll see the dean tomorrow morning before class. She may go easy on you… but attacking another student is grounds for expulsion." That did it. I collapsed back onto the bench, my head in my hands. _My first day at somethin' I'm actually interested in and _this_ happens…_ I was so disappointed in myself. "And Dean Goeffe isn't particularly well-known for being a forgiving woman."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Judgement Day

The rest of the day before went as you'd imagine. I'd spent the rest of the day dreading the meeting with the Dean. I couldn't think straight. I tried to practice my Fire spell with Shreya, but every time I'd cast it, my mind would automatically remind me that I was going to be kicked out of school. I ended up sitting by the pond until curfew, staring into my reflection and prepping myself for the return to my boring life. I _really_ wanted to stay. I hadn't felt a since of purpose since I'd started secondary school and, without my mum, I didn't really have anyone to live for other than myself, but that wasn't looking up either. Not saying I wanted to off myself, but the depression was certainly sinking in, and the idea of living out the rest of my life as a stump bothered me even more than being in trouble.

Finally, the morning came. It was only my second day of school and I was already up for expulsion. I found myself pacing back and forth in the corridor outside of Dean Goeffe's office, my arms crossed over my chest as I chewed at one of my nails. _I can't believe I've already fucked up this badly. I'm done for sure._ I heard shuffling from down the hall and froze, thinking it may have been the dean, but it was just Beckett. I groaned and kept up my anxious pacing.

"I'm surprised you made it here before me. I assumed you'd get lost, what with how sad and inept you are," he taunted as his pompous arse found a bench.

"Didn't sleep," I said with a sneer. "I had all night to find the place." He snorted, obviously not catching my sarcasm. I really hadn't slept, but I wasn't so dense that I couldn't navigate a building. We were silent for a while.

"Could you stop?" Beckett snapped about my pacing. "You're making this worse than it already is."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" I countered.

"Oh? How do you figure?" he crossed his arms and glared at me.

"You made me lose focus!" I hissed. "I was doin' just fine keepin' a handle on that flame until you opened your gob!"

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall. "Oh, please. Don't blame me for your lack of control."

I stopped pacing and stood square in front of him. "Listen up, you little git," but before I could finish, a loud click rang through the empty hallway and the door next to us swung open. I straightened up and pulled my ego back in when I saw Dean Goeffe. Beckett shot up and tidied his blazer, looking just as timid as I suddenly was.

"Ah, you two must be the pair that Professor Englund was referring to," she said, looking up at the both of us. The top of her head came to about my eyes, but she was a scary old woman.

"Yes, Dean Goeffe, we are," Beckett's smile was inappropriately timed, I thought, but it didn't stop him from being a git. "And may I just say how truly and _absolutely_ sorry I am for any and all of my actions." _Arse-licker.._.

She stared up at him, a look in her eye that shook my bones. His smile faded quickly as his face flushed red. When her eyes turned to me, she almost looked curious. It wasn't as intense as the look she'd given Beckett. "Come in, both of you. Let's get this over with." She moved back behind her desk, gesturing for me to close the door behind us. We took our seats across from her and looked nervously around the room, but never at each other. "Before we begin, allow me to say that I don't care who started this. I'm greatly disappointed in the both of you," her eyes met him first. "Mr. Harrington, I had extremely high hopes for you as a student, what with your family's reputation." His head was low, like that comment had struck him in the deepest corners of his being. His knuckles were white from how hard he'd been gripping at his trousers.

"Dean, please don't be too hard on him. I really did start all of this," I made eye contact with her, the thought of returning home so soon eating at my heart.

She stared sharply at me. It was awfully intimidating. "I appreciate your candour, Mr. Miller, but it doesn't excuse Mr. Harrington's actions in this," she turned back to him. "Mr. Harrington, considering your excellent transcripts and undeniable potential, you will not be expelled today." I felt a bit of anger build up. I hated myself for taking the blame and letting that prick off the hook, but I'd already opened my big mouth and I was just waiting for the words "go home."

"Thank you, ma'am. You won't regret-," Beckett's sigh of relief was cut off by the single hand the dean held up.

Her gaze turned to me as her hand fell onto the desk. "You, however, seemingly came out of nowhere and think that Penderghast's rules don't apply to you, hm?" her tone was sharp, but I was too scared to look away from her.

"No! Of course not! That's-"

"Excuse me, Dean Goeffe, but… it _was_ an accident," Beckett's now smooth voice caught my attention. "A spell gone awry that got blown out of proportion." _Is he stickin' up for me?!_ Shockingly, his words caused the dean to go silent.

She put her fingertips together and thought for a moment. "Lucky for you, Perseus, someone has already made a case for you to stay. One a bit more compelling than Mr. Harrington."

"But, wait… I'm not expelled?" I gasped.

"Not today, no," she said lowly, as if she was waiting for me to slip up again, but I didn't really notice. I held my hand to my stomach and took a deep, relieved breath. "But I want to make sure you know the severity of your actions. Both of you will be required to put in school service hours as punishment."

Beckett nodded eagerly. "Of course. Absolutely. Whatever we have to do."

"So be it," she said. "Arrive at the library at eight this evening to receive your assignments."

I took another deep breath. "Thank you so much, Dean Goeffe. I promise you this won't happen again."

"It had better not," she stared at me sternly. "I'm not a woman known for second chances, and you can expect that any further incidents will result in immediate expulsion. Do I make myself clear?" I nodded vigorously, understanding every word. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she said, "Well? What are you waiting for? Leave." Without a single word, Beckett and I shot up from our seats and scurried off into the hallway, closing the door behind us.

When I heard the door close, I collapsed down onto my heels, my elbows on my knees and my hands folded in prayer near my face. "I can't believe I made it out of there in one piece. That woman is _terrifyin'_."

Beckett scoffed down at me. "That woman is a genius. A real savant of the current magical education landscape." Before I could tell him to stop being such a kissass, he added, "And one hundred percent the scariest person I've ever met." I let out a relieved laugh then dragged my hands down my face and stood up, fixing my own shirt. He cleared his throat and tried to look dapper again. "Well… I should go. I've got a class starting soon."

I nodded. "Right. Yeah."

"See you later… I suppose," he nodded curtly before starting off down the hall, his hands in his pockets.

"Later," I said after him. As I watched him turn the corner, I noticed a curious face with frizzy hair staring at me from behind a pillar. When she noticed I was looking at her, her eyes darted around nervously. I took a step towards her, but she jumped and hid back behind the pillar. When I got to where she was, she was gone, like she'd vanished into the wall. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. _I have to get to class._ I nodded to myself and, letting out one more deep breath, started down the hall.

My first class of the day was with Professor Kontos in the greenhouse, Natural Studies. Shreya had saved a seat for me. I slid onto the stool next to her and let my forehead fall onto the table, my arms limp at my side.

"I assume that since you're here, you're not expelled?" she asked with a bright smile.

I turned to face her, rubbing my cheek on the desk as I nodded. "Yeah. Beckett totally vouched for me…"

Her eyes widened. "Harrington? That's a shock. He seems like quite the stuck-up little brat."

"He is, but… I dunno… maybe he decided to be decent for once? I'm not goin' to question it. I'm just glad I don't have to leave," I said, sitting up and noticing my surroundings. There was a pile of something at the back of the greenhouse covered in a large gray tarp.

"It seems like magic is starting to grow on you," she smirked.

"It's just… I've had such a hard time findin' somethin' that I'm good at _and_ like. Now I have this incredible opportunity that I didn't even know existed and it's brilliant. It feels so right," I said, sounding like a sap.

Professor Kontos came through the door, straightening his leather vest. "Good morning, class!" he seemed awfully chipper, but that _was_ his personality. "Settle in, please. We're going to start the year off with a very special and exciting lecture today."

"So, what do you think is under the tarp?" I asked in a low voice, gesturing behind us.

"I just hope it's not another giant flytrap," her lip curled. "I swear the one by the door sniffed me on the way in," she shivered. I smiled, trying to hold in a laugh.

"Today's lesson," the professor continued, "is about one of the most important things an Attuned will ever learn." He paused for dramatic effect. "Companion magic!"

The class filled with excited whispers and I could hear the tarp moving, which caught my attention. Something… was breathing under it… "What's companion magic?" I asked a little too loudly. I was trying to just ask Shreya, but the whole class heard me, and some of them snickered.

"As most of you know," Professor Kontos explained, "many spells can only be cast when an Attuned combines their magic with that of another magical being. Now, if there aren't any other Attuned around, you can find yourself in quite a situation if the need to do companion magic arises. And so," he walked passed us to the back of the room and pulled the tarp up, revealing three fenced off sections on the floor… inside of each, four or five creatures wrestled each other to get the classes attention. The first section from the left had a bunch of toad-like creatures with scales on their backs, the second held snake-like creatures with a kelpie head and dragon wings, and the third… oh… the third held the most _adorable_ dogs in the world. Well, I guess they weren't dogs… They looked a bit like huskies, if huskies were grey and purple instead of black and white, with small curled horns growing out just before their perked up fluffy ears. They had stegosaurus scales running down their spines and tails, ending in a bit of a spike.

"Oh. My. _God_," I couldn't contain my emotions upon staring at the babies. Every creature looked to only be a few months old.

"_These_ are just a few of the magical creatures that hold enough potential to channel companion magic," Professor Kontos couldn't hold back his smile upon seeing the expressions of the class. "We call them familiars," he paused and stood behind the puppies. "The Arylu is a fierce and independent companion. Build its trust, though, and it will fight for you tooth and nail, even when no magic is required." One of the pups yipped excitedly and started chasing its tail. With a small poof, it disappeared, then reappeared a metre away and ran around the greenhouse wildly. Suddenly, it stopped, looked up at me, and cocked its head, its little purple tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth. _It's so cute._ The professor stomped his hoof lightly against the ground and the pup ran back to the enclosure, poofing back into the far corner. He then took a step to the left. "The Lumian is wary of danger and will alert you at the first sign of trouble, making them highly prized as both guards and companions," he explained. One of the elegant, serpentine creatures cooed to the class and wrapped itself up in its own tail, rustling its wings a bit. Another flapped its wings a few times, causing a ripple of air to pulse out to us. With another step to the left, the professor introduced the final set of creatures. "And lastly, the Gorgue. A simple but effective creature, though, they have a tendency to be quite stubborn." For the most part, the little toad-like creatures seemed to be bored little rocks, but their skin was slick and one's tail twitched as it let out a croak that sounded more like a mountain giant belching. "My friends at Companion Breeding Company sent us over a fresh litter for all of you to choose from, so please, make a neat line…" Before he finished, everyone was on their feet, shuffling into a single line.

"This is ace!" I beamed at Shreya, who smiled adoringly up at me. "Which one are you goin' to have?"

"I've had my heart set on a Lumian since I was a young girl," she gushed. "They're such regal creatures! What about you?"

I cocked my head and raised my brow. "Oh, you know I want one of those puppies." She giggled.

When we made it to the front of the line, Shreya picked up a Lumian and nearly squeezed it to death in her arms. It was precious. I squatted down in front of the Arylu cage. The one that had run over to me earlier, I noticed, had stayed at the back of the group. I assumed it just didn't want to be picked, but when I knelt down, it disappeared and reappeared right into my lap.

I was all smiles. "I guess you're comin' with me, then?" I asked it, receiving a giddy yip as a reply. I lifted it up to my shoulder and walked back to my table to fawn over our new friends.

"What are you going to name him?" Shreya asked, stroking the head of her Lumian.

I looked down at the _incredibly_ soft pup in my lap. "Hmm," I thought about it for a minute. "Orien. Does that sound good to you?" I asked him. He scrambled up my shoulder and licked my face, which was a lot colder than I'd expected it would be.

"Take the rest of class to get acquainted with your new friend, and remember: A familiar is not a pet, it's a partner. If you want them to put their trust in you, you must do the same," Professor Kontos said when everyone had a familiar. He walked over to his desk and let us carry on.

"What did you name your familiar?" I asked Shreya. "I assume you already had one picked out."

She beamed. "Her name is Chichi. I've always wanted a Lumian, but my mother said the only way an animal was coming into our house was in a garment bag," as she spoke she stroked Chichi's nose, but the last two words made her eyes shoot up at Shreya like she'd been betrayed. "Oh, don't worry, dear. My mother is nowhere close to here, and I would never let her hurt you," she let Chichi fly over her shoulder and nest on her head.

"Chichi, huh?" I smiled, still obsessed with Orien's fur.

"It's short for Gucci because my Lumian is _just_ as iconic," she held her chin high.

Orien's back paw met my hand near his ear as I played with a few strands of hair that stuck out longer than the others. I pulled my fingers back to let him scratch, but with every kick, snow started falling around him in small flurries, as if his skin was made of snow and he was throwing the powder into the air. "I hope I'm good at this. I've never really taken care of anythin' other than myself, and even that's pretty iffy at times," I confessed, staring down at his mysterious lavender eyes.

Shreya laughed. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just remember," her face got serious and she dropped the tone of her voice, "A familiar is not a pet, it's a partner." Her impression of Professor Kontos made me snicker, but those words did have weight. Humans treated pets like forever babies and often spoilt or neglected them, treated them as something subservient, but all creatures, great and small, were on equal grounds. If I had one thing going for me, it was that I would never treat Orien as anything other than family.

That night I had to deal with my punishment. I headed to the library, ready to get my assignment and thankful that I was still there. Orien dashed around me in circles as I walked down the halls. "Hey, mate, be careful. I don't want to step on you," I said. He seemed to understand me perfectly and walked in a straight line near my left foot for the rest of the journey. When I entered the library, my jaw dropped. It was huge. At least 4 stories high of books and marble columns. The floor was tiled with orange stars and books were _flying _around between the top three levels. Through the wonder, I tried to remember my mission. I spotted Beckett at a table near the centre of the room completely surrounded by piles of books. "Hey, er, I'm not late, am I?" I looked down at my watch, which didn't seem to mean much in the magical world.

Without looking up at me, he said, "No, I was already here." Orien yipped and teleported into my arms. I was still getting used to his trust falls. Beckett looked up, narrowed his eyes at my familiar, then went back to reading. "Familiars aren't allowed in the library. Did you not read the sign?" he spat.

I spun around, looking for said sign, but couldn't tell where it would even be. It wasn't on the door… "Oh, I guess I'll just take him back to my room then."

"Don't be silly," he scoffed. "Just tell him to go off to the ether."

"Er…," I looked down at my little pup as he licked my hand, making my skin _proper _cold. "Go to… the ether?" I said. He looked up at me, panting happily, then disappeared for longer than he'd been gone all day. "Where'd he go to?" I felt sadness in my heart.

"Don't worry. He'll come back when you call and he'll be perfectly happy there with all the other off-duty familiars," Beckett explained, sounding a little less snooty as he looked up at me. After a moment, he closed his book and stood up.

"So," I tried to break the ice, "what were you readin'? There's got to be loads of great study material in here."

He scoffed again. "I'm here to complete my school service hours, not start a book club with you."

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

He was silent for a second then said, "I got our service assignment from the librarian, Mr. Korningshwip. We're supposed to reshelve the Attuned history section from 1300 to 1350."

"That's only fifty years. Doesn't sound so bad," I shrugged. "Where's that section?"

He lazily pointed down the aisle behind him that stretched deep into the back of the library. So far, even, that there weren't any lights farther in. "It goes all the way down."

I trilled my lips. "I see… but at least all we have to do is put some books in the right place." I was thinking of the libraries I enjoyed in Bristol. I always had a knack for navigating a library. He gestured upwards to the flying books. "Oh yeah," I frowned. "And how do we go about getting' those books down here?"

He rolled his eyes. "I've already got some here," he said, pointing to a pile on the desk. "Let's just get to work, shall we?" I nodded unenthusiastically.

Nearly an hour later, we were back to back in the aisle sorting books we'd caught flying low or just lying around, but every time I put one away, the one next to it would try to fly off. "Ugh! This is torture!" I groaned.

He sighed behind me. "Tell me about it. This is making even _me_ hate the library."

"Alright, I need a break," I huffed as I angrily shoved the last book from my pile into place. I spun around and leaned against the bookcase, watching him enviously as he slipped his books effortlessly onto the shelves one after another. "So, this mornin'… You vouched for me."

"Yeah, so what?" he asked bluntly, placing his last two books.

"I don't want to have to owe you anythin', so what can I do to make it up to you?" I asked, a bit snappier than I'd intended.

He scoffed. "Please, like you would have anything I would want. Besides, I figured I owed you one for telling the dean it wasn't my fault," he kept his back to me, but I could tell he wasn't scowling for once.

After a brief silence, I said, "I know the dean said it didn't change anythin', but… it did for me… so thanks." I looked down at the ground, feeling a bit awkward. It's not like I wanted to be friends with the guy, but if we could stop fighting, maybe I could get some work done in class. I mean, it also showed that he wasn't a complete prat.

"Well… don't get used to it… I was feeling generous," his ears turned a bit pink. "Don't make a thing out of it," his usual agitated tone was back as he turned to face me with a huff.

I forced a laugh. "Jesus, are you always like this?"

He sneered at me. "Like what, exactly?"

"Miffed!" I gestured at his expression. "You don't have to be such a wanker. Not everyone is out to get you, you know."

"Obviously, I don't think that's the case. I-," he started, but he seemed lost for words for a moment. He took a breath and said calmly, "This is important to me. School, I mean. I have to do well. I have to _excel_." He turned back to the bookshelf and did a quick hand motion before a tiny whirlwind appeared above his head, pulling in the flying books above us. "I have to be the best."

"You think nobody else here feels the same way? I'm not here to have a gander at the décor, mate," I started, but it obviously wasn't the break-through I'd thought it was. "Look, this place is incredible. Isn't it enough just to be here?"

He sighed. "I wish it were, but no. If I don't graduate top of my class, or with the Attuned Magickae Uirtus Award, what's the point?" he asked, sounding like the biggest tosser I'd ever heard.

"A stellar education? Makin' lifelong connections? The 'college experience'?" I threw out a few ideas.

He tried to rein in a few more books, but one managed to escape his draw, losing a few pages on the way. The corner of his lip twitched, but he didn't smile. "You… wouldn't understand. I'll be back. I have to hunt that book down," he started down the aisle.

I pushed myself off of the bookcase and shoved my hands in my pockets, following him. "I don't understand a lot of things. That doesn't mean I don't try or care."

He stopped and sighed again. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

I smirked. "Not a chance. I'm nothin' if not tenacious."

He rolled his eyes again, his lip twitching. It was my new goal to make this sod laugh. "Lucky me," he said before following the book again.

"So, Beckett Harrington, what exactly is your deal?" I asked, leaning to inspect him as we walked side-by-side.

"I wouldn't say there's a _deal_. My parents expect… a lot from me, that's all," he avoided looking me in the eyes.

I straightened up to watch where I was going. "I get that. I think that's just a parent thing."

"Really?" he looked sideways at me. "You'd think you'd try a little harder in class then."

"Hey," I snapped. "No need to keep bein' a prick. I thought we were having a moment."

He looked down. "Sorry, sorry. Old habits, I guess. It's more than that, though. My parents don't just expect a lot. They expect _everything._" I could see the shame in his eyes more clearly as we approached the brighter lights. "Katrina, my sister, has four degrees from three different Attuned universities worldwide, _and_ an MBA from Harvard," he said.

"She sounds like an overachiever to me," I snickered. "She got one of those Attuned… Uranus awards or whatever?"

He snorted, almost cracking a smile. "It's Attuned Magickae Uirtus Award, AMUA. Each magical university in the world gives out one a year," he corrected me. "And yes… she has three…"

"Oh," I bit the inside of my cheek. _That's no fun._ The book we were following made a sharp left, leading us to a row of bookshelves filled with green books. It smelt like a meadow.

"On top of all that, she's a humanitarian, she speaks eight languages, and she even spent time studying at Le Cordon Bleu," he continued.

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. "Wow. How much older than you _is_ she?"

"She's only twenty-eight," he frowned.

I shook my head. "Oh, come on. That's just not fair."

"I _know_, right?" he lowered his voice like she could hear him speak ill of her when she wasn't around. "The worst part is, she's honestly the nicest, most caring person I've ever met… and look at me… I haven't even accomplished anything yet, and I'm already a curmudgeonly jerk."

"Hey, you said it," I smirked. I turned to face him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, Beckett. First off, you may be a bit of a tosser, but I wouldn't go so far as to say curmudgeonly jerk," I tried not to laugh. "Besides, I'm sure that term is saved for people over fifty."

"Is this your idea of being helpful?" he asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.

I held up a finger. "I'm getting' there. _Second_ of all, you can't try to live up to other people's expectations of yourself! It's hard enough to listen to your own."

"Easier said than done," he said. "My expectations of myself are pretty high, too."

"Obviously," I muttered. "Maybe you should start by settin' some _attainable_ goals." Just then, I noticed the book aiming for a set of stairs in the corner. I darted passed him to go catch it, flagging for him to follow me. As I climbed the stairs, I continued. "Instead of worryin' about how many awards you have, start with somethin' smaller. Somethin' you can achieve easily and feel good about, like completin' your homework or passin' the semester."

"Or finish that volume on manipulating shield and ward magic I checked out the other day?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Or that… I was thinkin' somethin' more fun."

"Like… finishing the companion volume on reversing manipulations to shield and ward magic?" he asked again, really not getting it.

I laughed. "Do you not know how to have _fun_, Beckett?" The book turned again, this time into a brightly lit corridor with a load of paintings and sketches hanging on the walls. "Woah… there's a whole art gallery in here!" I called back over my shoulder. When he got up to where I was, he seemed unperturbed and continued after the book. "Okay," I stumbled after him. "There's got to be at least one thing you do just for the hell of it, not for an award or acknowledgement, just for you."

He kept walking, but I saw his ears go a bit pink. "I do, sometimes, enjoy… yoga," he said.

I wanted to laugh, but I held myself together. "Really?"

"It's excellent practice for focusing yourself before casting!" he snapped, completely flustered. "And it's relaxing…"

I waved my hand in front of my face, still trying not to crack. "No judgements here! You just don't seem the type." I looked up. We were right underneath the book, but every attempt at grabbing it was fruitless.

"Shoot…," he muttered. I saw him staring at me through the corner of his eye. "What about you? What do you do for fun?"

I shrugged. "I just go with the flow. If it seems interestin', I do it," I said. "I spent most of my secondary days studyin' about dinosaurs and mythology, but I'm up to spend all weekend at a football tourney as well."

"Sounds like a little too much for me, but I could see how that might be fun," he… _smiled._ He actually smiled!

The book teasingly came down towards our heads before zipping off towards another set of stairs and down to the first level. "I swear, this book is gonna get it when I catch it."

"Can you blame it for giving chase?" his smile lingered. "It knows as soon as we catch it, it's back to the shelf." It was interesting to see Beckett look relaxed for the first time. In that moment, I decided he was going to be my project. If I accomplished nothing else this semester, I was going to make this tightly wound nerd unwind.

When we got back downstairs, we found the book perched on a table, as if it needed a rest. I leaned into Beckett and whispered, "You take left, I take right." He nodded and we split up as we walked closer, quietly creeping up on the bloody thing.

"Now!" he lunged forward, I did the same, but missed. We collided like a couple of pissed plonkers onto the floor, but I managed to grab the little bastard before it flew off again.

"Gotcha, you piece of-," I started, but was cut off by loud, uncontrollable laughter. Beckett was having a proper belly laugh.

"We could have just used magic, you know!" he hollered.

I sat for a second, watching him go at it. How had I not thought of that? I was chasing a magic flying book through a magic library with a magic student in a magic school and I hadn't thought to use magic. "Sure, but it's more fun to get your hands dirty," I pulled out of my arse to cover my complete idiocy. I pulled myself up and extended my hand to him. His smile lingered for a bit longer, but soon he was clearing his throat and straightening his blazer.

"Should we get back to it then?" he suggested. I sighed, bummed that our fun was over, and nodded. When I turned to take the book back down the aisle, he called out to me. "Percy," he said. "I suppose I should thank you."

I smirked. "For what? Gettin' you in trouble and landin' you in magic detention?"

"Not exactly," he chuckled. "Though, I guess thanks for that, too." He composed himself again. "I should thank you for listening to me and giving me a second chance, considering I was such a… what was it you called me?"

"A royal gormless arsemonger?" I asked, knowing I hadn't said that one to his face.

He looked taken aback. "I'm not that bad, right?"

I teetered my hand in front of me. "Eh…" The look on his face was priceless. My lip curled up in amusement. "I'm only havin' a go. You aren't so bad. You might even be startin' to grow on me a little," I wrinkled my nose. "Like a foot fungus that just keeps comin' back no matter how much medication you use." He looked so shocked and offended. He was actually speechless. "I'm _kiddin'_! You are so fun to tease. Now, come on. Let's hurry this up so we can get out of here."

After putting that pesky bugger of a book back, there was only one left to get. There was a heavy tome flying around over the tables. I climbed up on the one closest to its flight pattern, but I had to jump to actually reach it. I missed twice, making Beckett laugh even more.

"Stop, stop! You're going to hurt yourself! Or me…," he held his stomach like he'd never laughed so hard in his life.

"Are you laughin' at me?" I glared down at him.

"Just a bit," he waved for me to come down and stand next to him. "Here, try this. First, stop the air current," he lifted his hand up and pointed at the book, freezing it in mid-air. "Then, turn yourself into a magnet. The book can't help but be drawn to you," he turned his hand around to face him and curled his finger forward, beckoning the tome to come to him. It landed in his hand without a fuss. "They also like it when you stroke their spines. They're more likely to stay on a shelf if they like you."

"You couldn't have shown me this sooner?" I asked, frustrated. "And we've been here for, what, three days? How do you know all this stuff?"

He shrugged. "My home library uses a similar filing system. Go ahead and try it."

_My home library…_ I mocked him internally. _He's so posh. _"Try it? How am I supposed to make myself a magnet? I literally know one spell and you saw how that turned out yesterday," I objected.

He sighed, clearly disappointed in my lack of 'basic skill'. "What did Professor Englund say in class, Percy? About where magic comes from? _You're_ the one who answered the question, remember?"

"We're born with it," I said.

He nodded. "Exactly. The point is, and I'm loath to say this, but you're probably the most powerful student at this school. I'd be shocked if a little spell like this isn't a cake walk for you."

"Beckett Harrington, did you just compliment me?" I taunted.

"Don't let it go to your head," he narrowed his eyes, but a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "The magnet part is the trickiest, but perfectly simple with the right Attunement, which I am pleased to be graced with," he smirked.

"Okay, but you're not explainin' the _how_, though," I tilted my head a bit.

"Just…," he struggled, clearly not used to my level of ineptitude, "how do I put it? It's a feeling you get, right in your centre. If you focus on it hard enough, you can _feel_ the energy being released. All you have to do is reverse that energy. Draw energy in instead of expelling it out." He stared at me for a second to make sure I'd understood. "Go on, try it."

I looked at his eager face and let out a breath. "Alright, first step," I shook my hands out like I was about to play a killer game of foosball. I pointed up at one of the books flying overhead, thinking about stopping the air around it. When it froze, I smiled. I'd half-expected it not to work.

Beckett smirked at my excitement. "Next step, make yourself a magnet."

I closed my eyes again, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. _Focus. Magnet. Metal._ I turned my hand around and curled my finger towards myself. I opened one eye to see if I'd gotten it right or botched it, but the book was almost in my hand already. I pulled it to me and stroked the spine with two fingers. It vibrated like a purring cat then relaxed. "Awe, who's a good book?"

"Credit where credit is due, Percy. That was flawless," he applauded silently.

"Better than you?" I asked teasingly.

"Let's not push the issue," he said as he turned to walk back down the aisle. I let the book I'd caught go, since it wasn't one we needed to deal with. I heard Beckett say, "Wow!" down the aisle and went to see what he was fussing over. "Look at this! It must have fluttered over from another section of the library."

I looked over his shoulder. "Another old book?"

"Percy, this is a first edition Penderghast Compendium!" he raved. "Everything you've ever wanted to know about this lauded institution is in here!" he looked so excited. "Up until the twentieth century, that is."

"God, Beckett, you are _such_ a keener."

"Oh, come on. I bet there are so many fascinating details about the school's history you don't know," he defended.

"Sure, a ton. I just got here," I shrugged.

"Look, here's the original school seal," he held the book out to me. The cover had the same crest as the one on Beckett's school blazer, but instead of the elephant-dragon Dryxmar in the middle, it was a snake eating its own tail.

"Ouroboros?" I asked, wondering what the relevance of it was in this context. The symbol had been used in many mythologies to symbolise the circle of life, new beginnings, repeating histories, an endless cycle of self-deprivation, or occult groups.

"We were the Penderghast Ouroboros until 1916, when Dean Greygarden Waithe thought the mascot should be a little more…," he paused. "I believe the word he used was 'fun'." He ran his finger over the inlay. "The rest of the seal is the same, though. They typeface, the colours of the shield representing the nine elements-," I cut him off before he could continue.

"I was told there were eight," I said, pointing to the crest on his blazer. "There's only eight on the crest, too."

He traced his finger around the border of the crest, a deep red embroidery. "That's the ninth. We're only allowed to study eight, but," he looked around then gestured for me to lean in, like he was telling me a secret, "the ninth is Blood magic."

"Er… like mastery of… actual blood?" I asked, wondering how that would even work. It seemed awfully twisted and dangerous.

"More like the mastery over life itself," he said. "Blood-Atts are the only Attuned powerful enough to give life… and they can take it away," he snapped, "just like that." He looked off-put by the idea, too. "That's why the practice of Blood magic has been banned."

I realised how close I was, but I didn't care. I was curious. "So, the Attuned government or whatever just _disallowed_ them? How do you do that to an entire group of people?"

He frowned. "It was more like they were… suppressed. It's the rarest Attunement a person can have, so there weren't many to begin with," he stopped and looked at me with the utmost curiosity. "How do you not know this stuff?"

"I, uh, never paid attention in school, obviously," I lied, trying to cover my arse. He nodded, accepting the answer a bit too easily for my pride to handle. "But… why would they do that?"

He looked around again. "Follow me. I want to show you something." He gestured for me to follow him as he walked over to a three-headed snake statue at the back of the library. All of its heads whirled in our direction and hissed. He held out his hand and they retreated immediately.

"What are you, the snake whisperer?" I asked.

"It's an enchantment," he explained. "You need special permission to access these archives." The snake slid to the side, allowing us through. The room it had been guarding looked more like a dusty old storage locker. The shelves were simple and much shorter.

"Huh… I thought I'd be more impressive back here," I thought aloud.

"Hey, you shouldn't…," he chuckled to himself, unable to finish his own sentence. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover!" he snickered. I rolled my eyes at him, only laughing at how funny he _thought_ he was. Whatever. It was progress. He cleared his throat. "Right, well. To answer your question about why they went to such length to stop Attuned from practicing Blood magic," he walked down the main aisle, looking for a specific section. "There was a man, a while ago. He went kind of crazy, experimenting on children and all kinds of horrible stuff. They called him 'The Dread'."

I followed him as he turned into a smaller aisle, scanning the shelves for a specific text. "That's… a really badass name." He stopped and turned towards me, eyebrow raised. I shrugged. "What? It's like a comic book supervillain name. Gotta give the guy credit for epicness in the name department."

"His real name was Raife Highmore," he said. For some reason, that name gave me shivers.

"So, what happened to this Raife guy?" I asked.

Beckett lowered his voice to a whisper as his finger trailed along the spines of the books on the shelves. "No-one really knows, actually. It's pretty strange. When I was a kid, he was basically the boogieman. You know, 'if you don't eat your peas, The Dread will come for you!' kind of thing," he mocked.

"Parentin' at its absolute finest," I chuckled.

"And unfortunately, a very real possibility," he shivered a bit. "For all the years he was being pursued, he only killed kids." The candle sconce at the end of the aisle flickered and I could feel myself actually getting spooked. He stopped in front of a section that read "Biographical Histories" before he continued. "Then, one day, he just… disappeared." He traced his finger over the spine of a book on the top shelf before pulling it out and handing it to me.

"Magical Crimes of the 21st Century?" I read the cover. I tried to open it, but the book wouldn't budge.

"Oh, right. All of the books in this section can't be checked out without access approval, see?" he pointed at an indent on the side of the spine that looked like a fingerprint scanner.

"I see," I turned the book over in my hands. "And how do I get access?"

He beamed. "It has to be approved by the dean herself. Usually for students that are already excelling past the standard year's curriculum." I faked a cough, squeezing the word 'keener' in the middle. "One of my many benefits to attending the Penderghast summer program," he shrugged. "And being all out brilliant, of course."

"Mint! So you can just check it out for me," I grinned slyly.

He retreated. "No way! I can't go around using my special privileges to help just anyone! What if you damage it or forget to bring it back and accrue late charges?" he looked horrified by the thought.

"_Please_, Beckett?" I batted my eyelashes charmingly, knowing I looked like a fool. "I need your help on this. This could be important for me to learn."

He smiled smugly. "So, the great Sun-Att needs my help, huh? Interesting."

I kept my smile up. "Normally I'd make a snotty comment here, but… just please check it out for me. I promise I'll return it on time. Earlier than on time, even."

He stared at me for a long moment. After a while, he took the book from my hands and pressed his thumb to the spine. The book hissed and suddenly felt lighter when he handed it back to me. "Don't say I never did anything for you… and try not to set it on fire. I know how much trouble you have with that." I pursed my lips at him, but kept my mouth shut. "I'm going to go get my things together and return this Compendium, since our jail sentence is almost up."

I looked down at the book, already flipping through pages. I held up my hand to wave him off. "Yeah, sure. I'll catch up with you in a second." I sensed him moving away and added, "and thank you!" before he left.

_Highmore's actions during this time are considered the main catalyst for the banning of Blood magic in the Americas. His reign of terror created an international panic, though no crimes outside of the United States were ever found to have been his doing. No-one has ever discovered the reason behind Highmore's killing spree. Most assume it was backlash due to the already growing contention against Blood-Atts... (More on page 154)._ …_ while a small few believe Highmore was chasing the secret to Refractionary energies of old Attuned lore._

On the same page, a photo of a man in his mid-fifties with a bushy beard and murderous eyes stared up at me. I nearly dropped the book when I saw him. Something about him put me off. _God, this guy really was a monster_. I closed the book and took it back out to the main section. I slipped it into my bag and left the library.

Beckett was waiting for me out in the hall. "Took you long enough."

"Er, yeah, sorry. I was a bit lost in that book," I said, a bit startled. "Wait, were you _waitin'_ for me?" I teased.

His ears tinged with pink. "Well, i-it's dark and… well, we live in the same building, after all."

"Awe, you do care," I couldn't help myself. His expressions were well worth it. A breeze hit the back of my neck, making my whole body cringe. I spun around, my hand guarding my neck, and saw the woman from that morning. She was hiding behind a corner again. I cocked my head. "Her again?" _Is she spyin' on me?_

"Who?" Beckett asked, apparently not seeing anyone.

When I looked back at the hallway, she was gone. "Not this time," I mumbled to myself before sprinting down the hall.

"Hey, wait!" he called after me.

I was able to track her by the tail of her skirt as she drifted around corners. I hadn't notice Beckett following me until I got to the foyer. His heavy footsteps threw me off as I tried to figure out where she'd gone. _Ugh, if he's goin' to come along anyway…_ "Come on, Beckett! Keep up!" I rounded a corner just in time to see a door slam shut at the end of the hallway. I made it to the door, opening it with a flourish as Beckett caught up to me, but all I saw was another empty hallway… "Ah! Bugger all!" I turned around and ran my hand through my hair.

"That's it then. We lost her," he said, huffing and puffing a bit. "Can we get out of here, please? This empty hallway is eerie."

I looked around, my heart still racing, unwilling to give up. I noticed the end of the new hallway looked familiar. "Wait a minute," I walked towards the dead end. "I've been here before," I stared at the wall.

"Can't imagine why. Were you lost?" Beckett asked.

"No, just shut up for a second," I hissed, not meaning to sound that angry about it.

"Ugh, congratulations, it's a dead end," he said, watching me stare at the wall. I rolled my eyes and waved my hand along the wall the way I'd seen Griffin do it, wiping away the mirage. "How did you know that was there?"

"It's a secret," I smirked and put my finger to my lips.

"Colour me mildly impressed. That was… well done," he praised.

"I'll take it. Now give me a second…," I put my knuckles together, trying to mimic Griffin, then touched the doorknob with two fingers from my left hand. The door clicked and I swung it open to reveal the lost and found room, but the woman was nowhere to be found. "Crap… she's gone." I looked around the room, looking for anything I hadn't seen a few days earlier, but everything looked untouched.

"This room certainly isn't on the school map," Beckett was awestruck looking at all the bits 'n bobs. "Is that a jar of dragon scales?"

"Yup. This place is kind of a lost and found," I explained, stepping farther into the room. I nearly tripped over a bag lying in the middle of the small pathway. "That wasn't here before." Inside were some shiny pens, a crystal shard, and some kind of bone. It must have been from a magical creature, since I didn't recognise its shape. Under the bone was a sepia tone photograph. I picked it up. It'd been torn in half. When I flipped it over in my hand, I saw… "Me?!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Trouble Brewing

It was late when I got back to the dorm, so I went straight to my room, not telling Zeph or Shreya about the photo. I sat on my bed, staring down at it, running my fingertips along the tear line. I had so many questions. The kid in the photo was being held by a smiling man and had my birthmark, a sun shape on the right shoulder. _How is this picture at the school? Is this guy my real father? If I didn't know I had magic, why is this picture here of all places? Were my parents magic? What's on the other half of this photo?_ I knew I was adopted, and I knew the woman I'd called 'Mum' my whole life had found me before I could remember. She'd never told me. Did she know? How was I supposed to deal with this new information?!

I ended up overloading my brain and falling asleep with the picture still in my hand. When I woke up, I put it in the top drawer of the desk to keep it safe until I could find a better place. Orien was running around the room while I got dressed. "Hey, boy," I chuckled when he suddenly popped into my arms to lick my face. "Are you hungry? We should go eat." He yipped excitedly at my suggestion as we headed out of the room.

About an hour later, Zeph and I were headed towards the greenhouse for our Potions class. I filled him in on everything that had happened the day before, from the meeting with the dean to the end of detention. I wasn't sure if I should even mention the photo. I needed to do more digging by myself.

"Beckett taught me a new spell to round up books and _then_ he taught me about illegal Blood magic," I said, a bit more enthusiastically than I actually felt at the time, but the new spell was exciting.

He stopped me from walking. "Back up a second. You're saying that _Beckett Harrington was actually nice_?" his jaw dropped.

I nodded. "I was pretty surprised by it, too, but he's actually not a bad chap," I explained, gesturing for us to continue down the path. "I think Beckett isn't as bad as he pretends to be. He's not really a jerk. He's more like a complete and total nerd," I smirked at myself, remembering his piss poor attempt at a joke. "He wants people to think he's all the rage, but doesn't really know what that is."

"So he makes up for it by being a snob?" Zeph raised his brow, clearly thinking I'd lost it if I was suddenly friends with a guy that nearly got me expelled.

I shrugged. "I honestly don't think he has any friends, no surprise there, and he's just puttin' up a front."

Zeph laughed and elbowed me in the ribs. "Until now. Congrats on becoming Loner Nerd's first friend," he snorted. I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved him away from me.

When we took our seats in the greenhouse, I continued, keeping my voice low. "Things got weird after I left the library. I saw someone… maybe a teacher? She was staring at me, but she ran away when I tried to talk to her. It was weird," I furrowed my brow at the thought. "After that, I found…," I stopped myself, realising what I was about to say. _I can't tell anyone until I know myself…_

I'd already piqued his curiosity, though. "Percy, what is it?" the amount of concern in his eyes… _maybe I _should_ tell him._

"I followed her to the lost and found and found…," I paused again. "I found a picture of me as a baby…"

"What? Plot twist," he leaned in closer so we could whisper.

"Yeah, it can't just be a fluke" I said, keeping my voice low. "It's like she led me straight to it…"

"Does this woman know you or something?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't even know… It's like… every time I have somethin' figured out, somethin' new pops up." I buried my face in my hands. "I'm so confused!" I mumbled. "I think the best thing I can do is keep my head down," I peeked at him through the gap between my thumb and index finger, "and learn as much about the magical world as I can. That must give some answers, right?"

He nodded. "It sounds like you already have a lead with this woman."

"If only I knew who she was or how to get her to talk to me," I sighed, thinking she'd just run away again if I approached her. "All I remember is that she was wearin' a red scarf and her hair was a mess."

Zeph cocked his head. "You know, it kind of sounds like you're talking about Professor Swan. I've heard some really strange stuff about her," he leaned in again and stared seriously into my eyes. "Sure, they call her 'Professor', but from what I've heard, she hasn't taught-," he started, but a thought suddenly came to mind.

I blurted, "Wait, Professor Swan? Isn't she the first year Sun-Att advisor Kontos told me about?"

"Yeah, that sounds like-," he started again, but this time Professor Kontos cut him off.

"Good morning, young learners. Thank you all for being on time," he said in his low, smooth voice as he entered the greenhouse holding a cauldron. Zeph and I straightened up. "We're going to get right into potion-making today, which I am sure many of you are excited about," he walked over to an empty table and set his things down. "To begin, I'd like you all to take a look at the daydream potion you're going to be concocting." Zeph and I looked giddily at each other upon hearing the word "daydream" and sat at the edge of our stools to get as good of a view as we could.

I was excited, but I wanted to learn more. I could multi-task, and Zeph had admitted on the first day to being able to talk and listen at the same time. "Hey, tell me more about Swan," I nudged him under the table.

He turned to me, keeping his mouth reasonably close to my ear. "She's, like, super weird. Always muttering under her breath, kind of a loner, weirdly protective of her office…"

"Protective of her office?" I questioned him, thinking that it was an odd detail. "What does that even mean?"

"I dunno, but there's a rumour that she keeps illegal magic stuff in there. Contraband, or potions," he explained with a mischievous grin. "Maybe even creatures."

"But hasn't anyone been in there? They would've seen all that stuff, right?" I asked.

"I've heard that she doesn't like being around people," he said, trying to watch was Kontos was doing. "Never invites students to her office. Doesn't really talk to the other professors."

"What's she even doin' at a college then?" I looked at him and he shrugged.

"Can everyone see the potion?" Kontos asked, looking around the room. "Students in the back, Percy, Zeph, please come forward and take a quick look," his eyes met with mine, making me feel a bit uneasy, though I knew he meant well. We slid off of our chairs and walked up to the desk to look at the glittering golden potion in his cauldron. It looked like gold bars had been melted into the pot. "While fairly easy to make, a daydream potion can have amusing side-effects when improperly brewed, though none are typically dangerous," he told us. "Which is why you'll be making this potion to kickstart your brewing ju-ju, as the Attuned say," he giggled at himself.

"Not sure I've heard that one before," Zeph said as we sat back down.

"Yeah, I'm one hundred percent sure no-one says that, but let him have it. It can't be easy keepin' up with Attuned _and_ satyr lingo," I joked.

Kontos continued. "Daydreams are typically associated with a lack of focus, but this potion will do the opposite, heightening your creative faculties. You should find that magic comes to you more easily," he informed us. _Then why is it called…_ "The most common side-effect is spaciness, which is where the potion gets its name." _Oh, that explains it._ "One _could_ slip their professor a dose in his morning tea, giving them extra time on their term paper while said professor is lost in fantastical reveries," he grinned and Zeph smirked knowingly at me, "but I discourage you from getting any ideas. The professors here can all recognise the signs of having consumed a daydream potion." Zeph snapped in defeat. "Now, I'll take any questions you may have before we begin brewing." I raised my hand. "A question, Percy?"

I nodded. "Professor, what happens if you take too high a dose of a daydream potion?"

"While I appreciate your curiosity, Percy, please be advised that recreational potion-taking is strictly against school policy," he grinned down at me.

"Don't worry, Sir. I don't plan on breakin' any rules, but it's a good idea to know what to avoid, isn't it?" I asked, smiling back.

He nodded back at me. "Fair enough. Taking too much daydream potion can result in excessive drooling and blank staring, speaking in gibberish, and occasionally acting out the fantasies you're experiencing!" he chuckled like he'd had experience watching someone do those things. "Now, let's get brewing. First, fill your cauldron halfway with distilled rainwater, which you can find in my storage room." He showed us how to start the potion and set his cauldron on a stilt, under which he lit a small fire. The water heated up almost instantly. "As the rainwater in your cauldron begins to steam, it's time to prepare your first ingredient." He picked up an otherworldly rock with a rainbow sheen to it. "Carefully shave off five grams of your moonstone, and grind to a powder with a mortar and pestle. Finely-ground moonstone stabilises the rest of the ingredients and improves the potion's taste and texture." As he stirred, the water turned indigo. A strong sent of fresh pastries filled the air. "A pleasant aroma should begin emanating from your potion. Simply wait for the surface to fog up before adding in two slivers of Tusk of Murphon." _What's a Murphon, I wonder…_ "Tusk of Murphon enhances focus, but the more you add, the longer and more intense this focus will be. Two slivers are enough, as we don't want to become zombies to the outside world."

"That'd make a nice prank, though," Zeph smirked.

"Wait, are zombies real, too?" I turned to him, hoping he'd say no, but all he did was laugh and shake his head.

"No pranks in this class, Mr. Hernandez," Kontos chuckled. "You never want to anger a room full of potion-makers. I speak from experience." As he added the tusk, his potion reached a low boil. After a minute of stewing, he picked up a golden petalled flower. "Delicately pluck the dreamshade petals like so," he demonstrated, "making sure not to tear or crease them, then simply combine into your mixture." He dropped the petals into his potion and stirred, showing us as the liquid turned into pure gold and the boiling slowed. "If the rest of the steps have been followed correctly, your daydream potion should turn a golden colour once you have added the dreamshade." He turned to the class. "Now, class, please partner up. Thirty minutes should be plenty of time for you to all brew up a reasonable potion. Get concocting, be safe, and most importantly, have fun," he beamed.

"Alright! Let's cook up some daydreams!" Zeph grabbed our cauldron and skipped off to get the rainwater.

I followed after him to get the rest of the ingredients. I stood shoulder to shoulder with him as we navigated the storeroom. "What were you sayin' about Professor Swan before? She doesn't actually teach?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "Nobody I've talked to has ever had a class with her, and they don't know anyone else who has either." When the cauldron was half-full, we walked back to the desk. "I've heard she's in charge of the special cases here at the school, the people who have rare Attunements." He looked at me as he set the pot down. "She teaches Sun and Moon-Atts one-on-one."

"So, she kind of _is_ teachin'," I clarified.

He shrugged. "But, Percy, we only have _one_ of those this year," he gestured to me, "and last year there were none. Same with the year before that, and the year before that, _and_ the year before-"

"I get it," I cut him off. "So, she's only teachin' me this year," I lit the fire under the cauldron. It wasn't long before the water started to steam. "Flake of five grams for me? I'll grind it up."

He nodded and started breaking off pieces of stone as we spoke. "It gets weirder. Advisors always teach their primary Attunement, but you can't primary in _both_ Sun and Moon." He measured the flakes on the scale.

"So, you're sayin' Professor Swan broke the system?" I asked, grinding the moonstone chunks into powder. "Is it possible to have _two_ primary Attunements?"

"Some people say that, and others say she doesn't even _have_ a primary Attunement," he said as we mixed the moonstone into the water, making it turn a shade of indigo.

Zeph smiled. "It smells like blueberry pie." We stirred until the surface turned foggy.

"Step two, add the Tusk of Murphon," I smirked, the smell completely distracting me from the topic at hand.

He picked up the tusk. It was long and skinny with ornate markings seemingly carved into it. "Remember, we don't want to cut too much and turn into zombies… or do we?" he smirked. "You want to do the honours?"

"So that I can take the fall if we screw this up?" I rolled my eyes playfully as I cut two slivers off of the thicker end of the tusk.

"Or take the glory if it's a success," he smiled warmly. "You've got this." I slid the shavings off of the cutting board and into the cauldron. The potion began to boil, and the surface looked like glass.

"Okay, maybe we won't die today," I chuckled. After a minute, I said, "Last but not least, dreamshade."

Zeph picked the flower up from the table and handed it to me like he was asking me to dance. "The finest flower for the finest potion-making partner," he grinned widely.

"Why thank you, sir. Shall we?" I took the flower from him and gently removed the petals one by one.

He stirred as each petal hit the surface and sank. With each rotation, the potion became more and more golden. "I think we've done it."

"By god, I think you're right," I joked, quoting my mum's favourite movie. "Professor, could you check our potion for us?" I raised my hand, getting Kontos' attention.

He walked over to us, looked down at the potion for no more than ten seconds, then looked up at us with a wide grin. "_Very_ well done, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hernandez. I'm exceptionally impressed. While not perfect, this would earn you both high scores on a practical exam. As such, I'm awarding you both with full marks today. Very good work."

"Thanks, Professor," I beamed.

"My report card thanks you, too," Zeph joked. When Kontos went to inspect another table, Zeph and I developed a handshake on the spot, like we'd had one for years.

"Good work today, class," Kontos said when it seemed everyone was done. "You may all leave as soon as you've cleaned up your workstations. Thank you for a wonderful first lesson."

Zeph grabbed the cauldron to go clean it, but my hand latched onto his wrist like a snake. "Wait!"

"Uh, did you want to admire our work some more?" he asked, a bit shocked.

"There's still time left. You heard the Professor. He said our potion wasn't perfect," I said, sounding a bit more desperate than I'd intended, but I _really_ didn't like being just under the bar.

"But he said we'd get high marks on it!" he objected.

"But… _perfection_," I whispered, narrowing my eyes at the cauldron.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, please tell me spending one evening with Beckett Harrington hasn't poisoned your mind."

I laughed, letting go of his wrist. "Zeph, calm down. I just think I can make it better the second time. Magic is incredible and I want to work hard at it. You don't have to help if you don't want to."

He let out a long sigh. "Fine. Suit yourself, but I hope you don't mind me taking the back seat. I'm potioned out for the day."

"Your moral support is all I need," I beamed, taking the cauldron from him to go wash it out. When I got back to the desk, I opened my textbook and cracked my knuckles. "Let's do this, Percy."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Zeph laughed.

I wrinkled my nose at him then got down to business, lending all my focus to the task. After going through step by step in the book to find out where I went wrong the first time, I carefully executed the instructions. Zeph did laugh at me a few times for talking to myself constantly, but eventually he seemed a bit bored. "Yes!" I stood up a bit quickly, making him jump. "Professor, could you look at this, please?"

He put down the book he'd been skimming and came over to inspect my new potion. "Well, Percy, you've certainly outdone yourself. I'd say this is about as close to perfect as I've ever seen from one of my students."

"Close to perfect…," I repeated, feeling the urge to do it one more time.

"Percy, just take the compliment. He just said you're the best student he's had," Zeph snorted, trying not to erupt into laughter.

I let out a breath. "Thank you, Professor. I think I've got a knack for potion-makin'. I quite like it, too."

"I'd certainly say so, though I'd definitely attribute these results to your hard work as well. I think you'll thrive in this class," he beamed.

He dismissed us and I turned to Zeph with a slight smile. "Looks like I'm going to have to start calling you Mr. Overachiever," he joked.

"A title I'll wear proudly," I saluted. "Help me clean up?"

"Sure," he chuckled.

After getting our desk cleaned up, we left the greenhouse and started back towards the main building. "Hey, so about Professor Swan," I started, but then I saw Griffin stop suddenly right in front of us.

"Hey, Percy! You planning on swinging by Thief try-outs today?" he asked, looking rather pumped.

"Hold on!" Zeph freaked. "I thought they weren't for another hour!"

"They aren't," Griffin said. "I'm just helping set things up. I take it I'll be seeing you there, then?"

"For sure!" Zeph looked so excited. "Percy, why don't you give it a shot, too?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "You two are probably goin' to hate me, but I've heard this 'Thief' word a few times now. Who's goin' to do the honours of actually tellin' me what it is?"

Both of their jaws dropped, but Zeph nodded to himself quickly, remembering, I assume, that I was not familiar with anything at that point.

"You don't… You don't know what Thief is?" Griffin stared in disbelief.

"Judgin' by your uniform, I'm goin' to guess that it's similar to football?" I dropped a clanger. Griffin looked almost offended that I'd compare whatever sport he was talking about with the greatest and most popular sport worldwide.

"Hey, go easy on him," Zeph chuckled. "Percy's lived a pretty sheltered live so far." _You could say that._

"Less judgment. More explainin'," I demanded.

After taking a second to compose himself, Griffin said, "Thief is this sport where two teams face off against each other inside a huge dome." _Alright, so like football…_ "You have a flag attached to a belt on your waist and if it gets stolen by the opposing team, you're out." _Maybe not football then… Touch, maybe._

"You can use elemental magic to help you steal flags or protect your own," Zeph chimed in. "The last team with someone standing wins."

"Okay, yeah, that sounds like magical Touch rugby," I nodded to myself.

"What's that?" Zeph asked, looking thoroughly confused.

"Flag football?" I tried to simplify, remembering that they were American.

Griffin nodded. "Thief _is_ loosely based on flag football, but improvised dramatically because, well you know, magic."

"You should definitely try out, Percy!" Zeph almost jumped at the idea. "Thief is like… Imagine the coolest video game you've ever played, but a million times better. The perfect fusion of sports and magic."

"The terrain shifts throughout the match, so depending on your Attunement, you'll have advantages and disadvantages," Griffin continued.

"And Penderghast has one of the best cheering sections around," Zeph beamed. "I can't wait to hear 'All Hail the Fighting Dryxmars' chanted by a full stadium!"

"Our team is second to none," Griffin raved. "Three-time league champs, and we just won last year, when I was a first year."

I grinned at their enthusiasm. "That all sounds ace, but do you really think that I could play this epic sport of yours? On your epic team, no less?"

"You've given me no reason to think that you couldn't," Griff said. "And I don't think the team's ever had a Sun-Att on it before either."

"Oh great, no pressure then," I smirked. After a moment of looking between their pleading faces, I agreed. "Okay, okay! I'll go to try-outs. With all the crazy stuff goin' on, I think I deserve to take the mornin' off to have some fun anyway."

"YES!" Zeph actually jumped. "Okay, I have to go get ready. I'm gonna try to fit in some last-minute practice outside the dorms. See you later, guys!" he bounded off up the hill towards the dorm.

"Um, there's still one big issue with me goin' to try-outs," I said, turning back to Griffin. "I've never played Thief before."

He waved me off. "We've got a lot of people trying out who barely know the basics. It's easy to pick up, so don't worry too much," he put his hand on my shoulder. "Although, I _have_ been a starter on the team since last year. I might know a thing or two that could help you out. If you're up for a little one-on-one practice, that is."

I chuckled. "I'm down, but I don't think I'll be able to do much with magic as basic as mine."

"Actually," he said, "familiars are allowed at try-outs, since most first years are in the same boat. Plus, how you work with your familiar gives us a sense of how you handle teamwork." As if on cue, Orien jumped out of nowhere and began skipping energetically around my feet. "Looks like someone's excited. I'm sure he'd love the extra playtime, and I'd love to show you how fun Thief is. By the sound of it, fun's exactly what you and the little guy could use right now, so what do you say?"

I picked Orien up and placed him on my shoulder, where he stood with his front paws on my head. "I'll take you up on that," I laughed.

"Great! Then let's head to the arena," he led the way to the stadium across campus. It was a large field that looked like a football pitch, but was divided into four sections and was twice the size. At two of the corners farthest from each other, there were large summoning circles.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of some sort of ritual," I stared at how large the field was. "What are the designs in the corners for?"

"They're the wards that let the terrain change. That's also the starting zone," he explained. "There's another over there," he pointed across the field. "Each team begins the match in their respective zones and, once the terrain shifts, they set off looking for each other." He took a deep breath then smiled warmly, finally relaxing his features. "I'd call this place my home away from home, but since that's technically my dorm, this is more like my home away from home away from home," he chortled at my expression. "Anyway, let's get down to business," he jumped a few times to get his blood pumping. "I'm gonna teach you the three basics any half-decent Thief player should know."

"Intense. I'm ready, coach," I joked. Orien howled and jumped off my shoulder, mimicking the high-knees Griffin had just shown off. "I guess we're _both _ready."

He beamed down at my cute little friend, but when he looked back at me, his focus was strong. "One: protect your flag with your life," he handed me a belt with a flag tied around it, not breaking eye contact for a second. I took it with the same urgency he gave it to me and fastened it onto my waist. "Two: use the terrain to your advantage," he held up two fingers.

"Alright, what's next?" I inquired.

"Three: be stealthy," he gave a quick smirk before pulling a lever in what appeared to be a referee box. In an instant, the pitch disappeared and gave way to luscious trees and foliage.

I took a step backwards in my shock and nearly tripped over a bush. "Holy shit! Are we in some kind of sci-fi movie?!"

Griffin laughed. "Oh, these aren't holograms. This is all real. Immersive, huh?" he did a quick spin with his arms out, gesturing to the woods. It seemed to stretch on for quite a distance. I wondered if we went all the way out to the edge, would we end up outside of the stadium? "Now, the best Thief players are the ones that utilize their terrain to help them steal their opponents' flags." He walked nearly 25 metres from me before turning around. "Let's start easy. Try using your magic and the terrain to steal my flag," he gestured to the cloth on his belt. "I won't put up a defence. I just want to see what you can do with Orien's help."

I looked around again, identifying whatever I could to assist me. "Use the elements, huh? Piece of cake." I closed my eyes, imagining what I could do, but unsure of how it would even work. I may have been a Wood-Att, but using it was a whole different thing than just knowing I was one. "Alright, Orien, let's do this," I opened my eyes and stared confidently down at him. He gave me a howl then did a quick spin before staring up at me with the same determination. I nodded and took a deep breath as I felt his power flow into me. "Oh, wow." I shifted my focus to Griffin and his surroundings. I extended my hand. In a matter of seconds, the tree closest to him grew two new branches and wrapped him tightly into its trunk.

"Woah! Nice sentient tree! Please don't crush me," he struggled, but he was soon immobilised. I skipped over to him and untied the flag from his belt with a smirk, feeling like I was invincible. He beamed proudly. "Great job. Wood is a tricky one, but with Orien's help, I don't think you'll have a problem using it at try-outs."

I knelt down and let Orien teleport into my arms. "Thanks, mate. With you by my side, this'll be a total breeze." He yipped and licked my cheek.

The terrain began to change again, and the tree wrapped around Griffin faded away, letting him fall to the ground, barely missing the creek that had appeared beside him. He stood up quickly and brushed himself off like nothing had happened. "Okay, same idea, but this time _you'll_ be on the defensive. Use the elements to stop me before I get your flag," he instructed then jogged to a safe starting distance. His pace was slower as he came back towards me, giving me time to think. The obvious choice would have been wood again, but I wanted to be more spontaneous.

"Ready, Orien?" I gave him a nod and he nodded back. "Let's do this." When I felt his power in my veins again, I focused on the creek. In seconds, a fountain-like spray of water shot up and connected with Griffin's face, making him stumble and wipe at his eyes. "You look like a fish out of water there, Griff," I joked.

We both laughed. "Well, that's one way to do it. Nice work, Percy." The terrain changed once more, and we were back on the pitch.

"Over already?" I asked, not wanting the fun to end. Orien whined sadly then disappeared.

"While I'd like to teach you a little bit more, the captain's gonna want to get the place ready for try-outs soon," he explained.

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Griffin, what do you think my chances are?"

He let out a quick laugh. "Are you seriously worried? You showed me some real skill just now."

I smirked. "So, you're sayin' I'm a natural."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm saying you have the right instincts for Thief. Practice hard and you could become a star player," he praised. "I think you'll make the varsity team, no problem." A loud chime echoed off the metal walls of the dome. "Shoot! It's later than I thought!"

"But nobody's hear yet. We just have to wait for them to show up, right?" I looked around at the still empty field.

"Actually, I have to make a pitstop first," he said, "and if you're going to try out, you should probably change into something more athletic." I looked down, realising I was wearing a nice button up and slacks. "I know where you can find the right gear. Come with me."

"Wait, where are we goin'?" I asked, following on his heel.

"Where else? Penn Square, of course," he shrugged. "Plus, knowing Aster, she's probably expecting you. I wouldn't be surprised if she already has a jersey picked out for you."

_Aster_… Just thinking about her again made my stomach uneasy. I'd embarrassed myself so bad the last time. "I'd be surprised about all of those things. Why would she-," I tried to ask, but he was already exiting the arena. I chased after him and followed him to his dorm, where we took the door to Penn Square's main circle.

The street was filled with people. A group of little kids were chasing each other with screaming balloons and sparks that smelt like fruitcake shot out of a booth on the curb. My eye followed one up, but got distracted by a guy flying overhead on a _skateboard._

"Come on!" I barely heard over the deafening crowd. Griffin was on the other side of the mass of shoppers, waving at me. I navigated my way over to him through the people and caught up just in time to hear him say, "I need to get some new belts and flags. There are always a handful of people who show up to try-outs without them."

"I thought you were a player. Are you the team manager, too?" I asked, distracted by literally everything around me.

"Unofficially, yeah. I just like to keep things running smoothly for the team," he shrugged. "I take Thief pretty seriously, in case you haven't noticed."

I was finally walking shoulder to shoulder with him. "Oh, I noticed," I smirked. "Did you attend Penderghast just for the Thief team?"

He nodded. "Playing Thief for Penderghast is one of my childhood dreams come true, but there was more to it than Thief," his grin faded a bit. "I was also really interested in their Natural Sciences program."

"You did tell me about that before," I recalled my first time in the lost and found room.

"I want to get into natural disaster relief, and that means learning as much about the elements as I can," his grin was back and wide as ever.

I elbowed his arm. "An athlete and an academic. You must be pretty popular, too, right?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I am. My parents want me to become a pro Thief player. They're pretty much my biggest fans, but sometimes it's just too much."

"What do they think about the Natural Sciences thing?"

His face dropped. "Whenever I try to talk to them about it, they just stop listening. I love Thief, but I don't see myself doing it forever. I've always wanted to help people, and natural disaster relief just speaks to me." I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him as we walked. "Anyway," he forced his smile back, "I've got to do well on the team to keep my scholarship, and I enjoy the game, so it's not like I have that much to complain about."

"You're pretty inspirin'. Doin' what you love, but still makin' plans for the future," I said.

"Really? I don't feel like I'm doing anything all that great, or cool, or anything," he looked over at me.

I nodded eagerly. "You're imaginin' what type of future will make _you_ happy. That's a really big deal. Some of us haven't figured that out yet." I sighed. "When I started at Uni, I was just goin' through the motions. I felt so dull and uninspired."

"You don't still feel like that now, do you?" he stopped and turned to me.

I shrugged. "I still don't really know where this journey is takin' me, but I want to find out at least now. And seein' you so excited for the future makes me look forward to figurin' out what my next move will be." I looked around and realised we were just outside of Aster's shop.

Griffin pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "I'll just be a few doors down getting those belts and flags. I'll meet you out here in a bit."

I nodded and ducked nervously into the shop. Aster was behind the counter, jumping up and down and waving her hand at a flock of small owls flying just out of her reach.

"Simon! Rosie! Sir Gladion! Please, not when you're moulting!" she fussed. "You're getting feathers all over the floor!" I watched some of those feathers hit the ground, each landing with a thunk. Two of the owls hooted at her before settling onto a lower shelf, but one of them kept giving her the run around, eventually landing on her head and cosying into her flowers.

"What are those feathers made out of?" I asked, noticing that the owls didn't quite look like normal owls.

She spun around quickly, grinning from ear to ear. "Hello, Percy! You came just in time to meet my new wooden owl friends," she stroked the back of one of the shelved one's head with her finger. "All of them but Sir Gladion are hatchlings, so they're a handful, but I know you're really here to buy your Thief uniform," she smiled knowingly at me.

"How did… How did you know that?" I asked. "Griffin said you would, but _how_?"

"I have ways of seeing far and wide," her flowers seemed more radiant as her playful smile lingered. "And when I saw you coming here, I found myself standing in front of the clothing racks with a clear image in my mind of exactly what you needed."

I wasn't sure if I was staring like a bumbling idiot because of the initial shock or because of how awestruck I was with her. "Right, well, you're goin' to have to enlighten me on that one."

She laughed, which sounded like nature's purest music. It made my heart skip. She lifted her arm, letting the owl shuffle out of her hair and perch on her wrist. She guided it up to the shelf to be with its family. "Follow me. I have just what you're looking for this way." She walked around the counter and led me into a corner section of the shop with several clothing racks.

"Aster, I…," I stammered. "I actually wanted to see you."

She spun around quickly. "Oh? I didn't sense that when I felt your energy approaching." She grinned. "What a pleasant surprise. I'm happy to see you as well. It feels warmer when you're here, like the sun shining on my face."

I blushed a bit. "Are you sayin' that _I'm _warm or that I make _you_ warm?"

She turned back around, giving me a look of I'm-not-telling. She pulled a yellow uniform with black stripes down from the rack. "This should do the trick. I magically reinforced all the seams, so this should be durable enough to last all season."

I took the uniform from her hands when she held it out to me. "I should get some serious brownie points for showin' up in this, eh?" I joked.

"Brownie points?" she cocked her head curiously. "If you mean, 'the captain will regard me quite highly, and also be enthused that I'm the first Sun-Attuned trying out in recent history,' then yes, you will get the brownie points," she beamed proudly. I felt my cheeks go pink again. _She's so cute._ She turned me around and pushed me towards a small wooden cubicle with a curtain, urging me to get dressed.

The uniform felt like my old football jersey, but the shorts might have been a bit shorter than I was used to. I was surprised the uniform fit at all. What was even more surprising was that there was already a sun imprinted on each sleeve, like Griffin's jersey had a rock for his Earth Attunement. I did a few stretches and looked myself over before sliding the curtain back for the big reveal. "Aster, this is really comfortable. It looks ace, too. Thank you so much."

She clapped her hands and tiptoed excitedly. "I'm so glad you like it!" I noticed her eyes trailing me. "They say it is difficult to pull off athletic wear, but you do it wonderfully. It makes me wish I could come see you in action."

Blushing again, I followed her to the counter. "How should I pay for this? Last time you said that my Attuneless money wasn't worth anythin'…"

She shook her head, making the flowers and leaves around her ears rustle. "It isn't worth anything to me, but I can sell it and it's always interesting to see the different forms of currency."

"I mean, I guess if it's okay," I pulled out a few pounds and handed the bills to her.

"Oh! I didn't know Attuneless money came with _this_ number on them!" she beamed giddily down at my payment. "I can't wait to add them to my collection!" _So, it's just a trade, huh?_ I chuckled to myself. "Please come again soon, Percy."

"Definitely," I agreed.

"Oh, but in the meantime, please be alert," she added.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Alert? Why?"

"It's just that there's been a bit of unrest among the wood nymphs and sometimes I can… sense…," her eyes went dark like the first time I'd met her. It seemed like she was staring straight through me.

"Aster?" I asked, taking a step towards her. Her mouth hung open slightly, but her body was exceptionally still. "Are you alright?"

Her mouth began to move, slowly and quietly as she spoke. "Whispers among the trees. Unpleasant tidings that I don't understand." Her face was emotionless as her voice crescendoed. "They are afraid. Their branches shrink. There is a blight in the air. They do not like it. Some recognise it. This place!"

"What place?" I asked, taking another step forward.

Her hands slammed down on her side of the counter, her lips pulling into a snarl. I didn't even flinch. Her eyes were so dark and far away that I felt hypnotised. "The Attuned breed cruelty and destruction. Foul magic that sours, and poisons, and leaves pain in its wake. I feel it in my bark, my branches. A magic fouler than any before looms! The trees can sense its imminence and cower at its might!" She looked up and stared _at_ me, not _through_ me. "Percy, you must… you… ugh," she groaned and held a hand to her head before she collapsed onto the counter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Ill Omens

Aster laid limp over the counter. At first, I couldn't move. I was still stuck in a bit of a trance from the look in her eyes as she attempted to warn me about… something…

"Aster?" I put my hand on her shoulder when I finally snapped out of it. "Aster," I shook her gently, not wanting to hurt her, but just enough to wake her. The owls screeched and flew in circles above us. "Oh god, what do I do, what do I do, what-," I looked around, trying to find something… or someone… anything that could help.

Aster groaned, getting my full attention again as she weakly pushed herself back onto her feet. "That was… a strong one. I think I need to sit down."

"I'll say. What just happened?" I asked, taking her arm and helping her wobble over to the stairs just a few metres away. I squatted down in front of her, holding her hand in mine as she sat and rubbed at her eyes with her other hand. "Is there anythin' I can do to help? Should I go _get_ help? Do you need a glass of water?"

She smiled weakly down at me. "I'll be fine. My branching is rarely ever that intense. I just need a few minutes."

"Branchin'? So that's what this is. Is it kind of like fortune tellin'?" I asked, now understanding that it's how she knew I was coming.

She fidgeted with a flower near her ear that refused to reopen. "That's not quite it," she spoke slowly and with many pauses. "Branching refers to my ability… to extend my awareness into the trees around me… to see and hear what they do. It's how I can tap into the discussions that are always happening in the natural world around us. I've been able to do it for some time, but," she closed her eyes and her hands rushed to her forehead, as if hit with another spell of dizziness.

I didn't know what to do. I felt useless. "This 'branchin''… it looks like it hurts. It can't be safe to do somethin' that takes so much out of you, can it?"

Her hands slowly fell from her face. "Just as Attuned must be careful not to attempt magic beyond their abilities, wood nymphs must be aware of our boundaries when branching," she explained. "It's difficult to extend your consciousness outside of your own body. Dangerous, too, to untether yourself from your physical form like that," she paused, and her frown was enough to break a heart. "I overreached just now."

"I don't mean to pry, but do you zone out like that a lot?" I asked. "You did it the last time I was here, too."

A shiver ran through her body and her leaves drooped, the flowers losing vibrancy. "Sometimes the trees want to show me things, so they draw _me_ into _them_ so that I can see what they're seeing," she sat up, seeming to feel a little better physically. "It can be difficult to understand them, since they primarily communicate through sight and feelings, and they rarely try to speak to me like they did just now, since I don't know their ancient language."

I caught her eye and had to ask, "Aster, that… vision, or whatever that was just now… At the end, it seemed like you were tryin' to warn _me_ about somethin'."

She rubbed the back of her neck and worked her way up to her temples, wincing at the touch. "I'm not sure what I said to you just now. The trees' emotions were so strong that I felt them taking over me, but now they're all muddled. I can sense that much is troubling you, though," she opened her eyes and stared at me like she could see my soul. "Your energy is restless. Perhaps my message had to do with that? Oh, I'm being no help at all!" she lightly tapped her fist against her thigh.

"Aster, don't worry about it. I'm more concerned about you right now," I took her hand again. "You literally just passed out. There's no need to push yourself."

She smiled gently. "You're too kind, Percy. I can see why you're Sun-Attuned. Warmth just radiates off of you." She tried to stand up, but she was still unsteady. "Please don't worry about me. I'm already feeling much better," she lied. I could tell by the expressively sad flowers that framed her face.

"You don't have to get up yet," I took her arm to hold her up, since she was so determined to stand.

"I'm fine," she smiled again, but it wasn't her usual glowing smile. "However… Well, I'm not sure if this will be any help, but I have been studying the ancient tree language. I think I recognised a word just now, perhaps two," she propped herself against the wall as she took a step down to my level. "It didn't quite make sense to me, but they may help you better understand what's happening in your life."

"I guess I could really use some answers about… well, _everythin' _that's been happenin' these last few days," I sighed.

She nodded. "I'll have to strain a bit to remember exactly what the trees were trying to say, but I should be okay. I'd really like to help you if I can."

I hesitated for a moment. "Alright, but don't push yourself."

She nodded again, this time with a real smile gracing her lips. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. Her eyes were dark again when they opened. "I can almost recall… Yes!" she stumbled a bit and I threw my arm out to catch her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, desperately hoping she wouldn't make herself faint again.

Her eyes lightened as she looked up at me. "I'm fine, Percy. The trees that I branched through were at the edge of a vast, grassy plain. Rolling hills stretched for leagues all around!" her flowers seemed to glow with excitement and the leaves on her arms danced.

I smiled slightly at how happy the thought made her. "Is that important or just a warm image?" I looked down at my arms and noticed I was still holding her up. I blushed and pulled away.

"Oh, yes," she giggled a bit. "I believe that these trees wanted to communicate with me _because_ something terrible was going to happen there," she said, more serious now. "They tried to speak to me, but the connection was strained and muddled. I'm certain I kept hearing the word 'blood' through it all, though."

"Well, that's ominous," I furrowed my brow.

"The second was a word I'm less familiar with, but the trees repeated it enough that I should be able to find it," she walked around me to the bookshelf the owls were perched on and pulled out a thick, old tome. She fingered through the pages until finding the page she wanted then traced her index finger down the thin column of words. "Yes, here it is. 'Fragment.' It came up a few times, but that means very little to me," her leaves drooped again as she frowned. "As I feared, I wasn't helpful at all, was I?"

"Er, no! You were a lot of help," I stammered, not wanting to see her sad. "I really appreciate your help, even if I'm not sure what it means yet. If anythin', I should apologise for bein' nosy when you're so worn out," I laughed nervously and rubbed at the back of my neck.

"Not at all!" she beamed. "Truthfully, I've made children cry by branching in front of them, so your curiosity is refreshing!"

"I can't help it. You're fascinatin'… I mean, your power is fascinatin'!" I quickly corrected myself. "The fogy eyes are a bit off-puttin' at first…," I mumbled. She laughed properly, her leaves dancing with delight. "Everythin' you… feel, or hear, when you branch like that, the trees tell you?"

"Yes," she said, her glowing smile making me feel warm and fuzzy. "All wood nymphs can branch," which essentially means we can see through the trees, as they are a part of us, and we are a part of their forest."

"When did you develop your ability?" I asked.

"All wood nymphs develop it as soon as we can wiggle our roots, which marks our transition from stationary saplings to mobile nymphs," she explained, but only gave me more questions. "I was about five years old," she grinned proudly.

I smiled back at her, unable to keep a straight face around her glowing personality. "Little Aster must have been adorable."

She giggled. "My parents say I was a troublemaker. I used my branching to cheat during games of Nymph or Gnome with the other young nymphs."

"I don't blame you. Branchin' would definitely come in handy durin' Hide and Seek," I chuckled.

Her hand met my upper arm. "You must tell me about this game sometime. Human pastimes fascinate me. I just love learning. There's so much knowledge to gather from the world," she grinned. "I hope to be accepted into Penderghast's cultural exchanged program next year, so I can learn more about Attuned magic."

"Penderghast has a cultural exchange program?" I asked, though it did make sense with all the different types of people I'd seen since arriving on campus.

She nodded enthusiastically. "It was started by Professor Kontos of the Natural Sciences department, following his graduate studies at the college. I've read all his works."

"You sound perfect for the program then," I returned her energy, but her face fell.

"That's what I told my parents… They don't approve of me attending Penderghast, but," she shook her negative thoughts away, "I've already submitted my application, and if I get accepted they won't be able to stop me."

"Why don't your parents approve?" I asked.

She looked up at the owls. "There is… history… between the wood nymphs and the Attuned that stretches back to the Wand Wars…"

"That sounds pretty dark. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was long before my time. My grandfather had not yet rooted, and my father was young," she explained. "I was raised to be wary of your kind, but you don't all seem bad. I've met several of you while running this shop, and while all Attuned are a little odd, you seem pleasant enough."

"Oh thanks," I chuckled.

She leaned rather close to me, making me blush. "Some more so than others," she said, her voice a bit lighter.

I tried to think of something else to talk about, not wanting to embarrass myself again. "I… I think it'd be really fun to have a wood nymph on campus. You could learn Attuned magic and we could learn about nymph magic."

She gasped. "My father might uproot me from our forest and transplant me elsewhere if I ever taught any of our magic to you Attuned," she narrowed her eyes slyly. "Then again, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, as you Attuned are so fond of saying."

"Wouldn't you be seen if you did it on campus? You know, the trees and all…," I questioned, but then returned her sly grin. "_But_… if you taught me somethin' inside a buildin'… like… I don't know… here, you could probably get away with it."

"How positively taboo!" she squealed excitedly. "I'd be honoured to teach you." She pointed to a small potted plant with three pink flower buds on the counter. "Here."

"Oh, are you goin' to teach me to make it bloom?" I asked, rather excited about this new experience.

"Precisely!" she giggled. "It's quite easy. You just have to let it hear your heart song and give it the encouragement it needs to grow." She leant over the flower and whispered to it. "How are you doing, little friend? It's plenty warm today, and with Percy here, the air tastes like sunlight! Wouldn't you like to wake up?" The bud shook a bit, but then gladly opened to peek out at the room. At my look of confusion, she explained, "Wood nymph magic isn't about casting. It's about working together, all parties nurturing each other. The warmer your heart, the more radiant your magic."

"Okay… Well, here goes nothin'," I said, leaning over the plant. "Hey there, little one. I hope you like my, er, sun energy. Wanna spread those pretty pedals of yours and photosynthesize?" I whispered. The second flower shivered and flew open, doubling in size and turning a bright turquoise. It let out a squeal of sorts as it bloomed. My eyes went wide and darted from the flower to Aster, who was shocked.

"It seems that you just turned it into a different species of flower entirely!" her expression softened. "Our magical foundations may be too different to fully grasp each other's methods of spellwork," she giggled.

I chuckled. "Hey, I still made _somethin'_ happen. That was brilliant!"

Aster looked towards the window near the door, the leaves in her hair rustling as if a sudden breeze had swept over them. "Oh, I've just seen through the trees. Your friend is on his way back and is eager to return to school."

"Oh," I turned to look at the window, too, suddenly dreading leaving. It was so fun to be with her.

"Best of luck with your try-outs, Percy. And thank you for spending time with me," she was beaming when I turned back around.

"I guess you'll know from the trees whether I make the team or not," I bit the inside of my cheek.

She took my hand in hers. "I believe in you. Do your best, follow your heart, and the path ahead will be clear to travel."

I let out a gentle sigh. "I'll see you later, Aster." I walked out of the shop, turning as I closed the door to look at her one last time. She waved with a bright smile. Griffin grabbed my arm and led me back down the street.

It didn't take us long to get back to the stadium. Several people had already gathered on the side of the field, including Zeph, who was waving at me like I couldn't see him. "Hey, Percy! Good luck, but don't me mad when I kick your butt!" I chuckled.

"You really know how to cut it close, don't you, Langley?" I grumpy looking upperclassman trudged over to us. He had eyes like sharp glass. "I thought you were flaking on me." Griffin held up the belts and was about to respond, but the guy just waved him off. "Don't wanna hear it. Just give me the flags and I'll let you get back to chilling with whoever your friend is." He eyed me disdainfully, but then froze. "No way. You're the first year Sun-Att I've heard about!" his eyes shot open. "The only one at Penderghast in, like, a hundred years or something!"

"So I've been told," I shrugged.

"Percy, this is Everett Merkseyer, our Captain," Griffin introduced us.

The big guy suddenly had a new attitude. "The team's never had a Sun-Att on it before. I hope you do well, and not just because it'll look good for me to have you on the field."

"You'd be lucky to have me," I tried to hide my smirk. I wasn't normally that arrogant, but he'd just been a prick to my friend, and I wasn't going to have it. "You'd just better hope that when I make the cut, I like Thief enough to stick around."

Sadly, I'd had the opposite effect… I'd… _impressed_ him… "Confident. You remind me of me, Miller, and I respect that." It took all of my self-control to not groan out loud. "And I doubly respect that jersey. I like your spirit. We'll be starting in five. I look forward to seeing what you can do out there, Freshie," he snatched the flags from Griffin and trotted off.

When he was out of earshot, I let out the groan I was holding in. "He's a bit of a wanker, isn't he," I looked over at my friend, who had looked a bit frustrated just a few seconds earlier.

"That's the captain for you. The best thing to do when he gets worked up is just let him run out of steam," he suggested. "So, heads up for when you're on the team."

I sighed, trying to release any negative energy I had. The other students trying out were warming up with their familiars and practicing spells. "What's with the magic? I thought try-outs hadn't started yet."

"Plenty of players use Air magic for speed and agility boosts during games. It's totally legal, so it's become common during try-outs, too," he explained, leading me over to the others.

"Too bad I can't do anythin' like that," I bit the inside of my cheek, pondering my options to keep up with them. A yip caught my attention as Orien appeared by my leg and began dancing around me. "Luckily, I've got you, right bud?" I squatted down to rub under his chin. "What do you say, ready to give me a hand out there?" He yipped again and ran in a few circles before stopping in front of me with his purple tongue hanging out. "You're so precious," I mumbled, scratching between his ears. "Hold the phone. I just remembered, I have somethin' else that will help, too." I slid my bag off my shoulder and pulled out the wooden box Shreya had convinced me to buy. I pulled out the clear orb and rolled it around in my hand. "I might be able to get an air boost after all."

"Having Orien _and_ Air magic on your side will give you double the options to get through each round," Griffin agreed.

"Now I can even the playin' field," I cupped my hands around it and focused on the swirling smoke inside. The orb became cold, making my hands sting a bit. Then it began to glow, sending light out from between my fingers. As the light disappeared, the smoke did, too.

"So… what did it do?" Griffin asked, not seeing anything different.

I squinted down at the empty glass. "I'm not sure. I don't feel any-," as I said the words, my feet came off the ground. Small cyclones of pure wind shot out of my hands towards the ground. "This is different," I panicked, but soon I was back on the ground, my knees trembling slightly.

"Wow. It looks like that marble held an Air enhancement spell!" Griffin cooed. "That ought to give you a boost for a while."

"I'm never goin' to get used to this," I shook my head in disbelief. If it hadn't been happening to me, I'd never have believed any of this existed. I took a few minutes to get used to my new movement patterns. Even walking seemed suddenly easier.

After a few more minutes, the captain blew his whistle, calling for us to gather in the ward circle in the corner. Griffin handed out belts, stopping in front of me with a grin. "I know you don't need any luck from me because you'll totally kick butt out there, but good luck anyway. Can't wait to have you on the team." I pursed my lips, trying to feel as confident in myself as he seemed to be of me.

I tied the belt around my waist and nodded. "Thanks. I hope I live up to your expectations."

"Alright, here's how try-outs are gonna go," the captain announced. "There'll be a series of rounds to test you on various skills essential to Thief. You'll be facing off against each other, so pretend this is a match and keep your cool. I'll be watching from the stands." Griffin nodded at us then followed the captain over to the stands. As the dome began to close, his voice echoed around us. "In a real match, teams would start on opposite sides of the arena, but you won't have a team to strategize with today. Things will reset each round, so don't worry too much about losing your flag. I just want to see what you can do." There was a moment of silence as the ward began to glow. "Everybody, ready!" He blew his whistle and the terrain shifted to an open field filled with flowers. Nowhere to hide... we were all in plain sight of each other. I looked around at my opponents.

"May the best Attuned win," Zeph smiled at me, but his eyes were cold. He wanted this and wasn't afraid to go against his friend. As he should be.

"Don't get your hopes up, fresh meat," one of the upperclassmen sneered at him.

"I want to get a feel for your close-range skills here," the captain's voice was still strong like he was standing right in front of us. "The next five minutes are an all-out melee. Protect your flag with all you've got. Ready?" he paused suspensefully. "Go!" he shouted.

Right on cue, two players ran towards me, eyes on my flag.

"This one's mine! Get your own target!" one shouted at the other.

"Big talk from someone who isn't gonna make the team!" she shouted back at him.

"Well, this escalated quickly," I said, looking around. Running wasn't going to be an option. They'd just catch me. This was going to be a defensive battle. I looked down at Orien. As if he understood just by my look, he darted out in front of me, growling like a pro. He tackled them one after another, pulling on the second by the tail of his shirt.

"Nice Arylu, nice Arylu!" he pleaded as he fell backwards. Orien growled again, spitting on him a bit this time. He was pretty terrifying for such a small pup.

I took the opportunity to gain some distance from everyone. Orien teleported onto my shoulder right as the terrain changed. This time we were in an old underground labyrinth. The air was stale and damp.

"Some terrains work against us, amplifying any sound we make," the captain said. "This round, I want you to be stealthy. Sneak up on your opponents and steal their flags."

With Orien on my shoulder, I walked cautiously down the dank hallway, my steps echoing on the wet floor. I came to an intersection and peered around the corner. There was another player looking around anxiously.

"This is way too much like the catacombs from _Double Undead Zombie's Wrath_," she mumbled, but it echoed around the corners. She turned to walk farther down the hall she was in.

_This is my chance. I can do this_. I used my new Air enhancement to control a draft strong enough to unloop her flag from her belt, letting it drift back to me without a sound. _That was AWESOME!_ Shortly after I stole her flag, it disappeared from my hand and the terrain changed again. It was a forest this time. _Alright. This is what I'm good at._

"For this round," Captain said, "I want to see you use your magic to capture each other's flags. This is where you can be flashy. Impress me."

Orien hopped off my shoulder and jogged beside me as we made our way through the trees. We ended up in a clearing, which I admit now was a bit dangerous. I could hear footsteps behind me. I spun around, my hand gripped tightly around where my flag was attached to my belt.

The girl from the open field was in front of me. "You're still in this?" she seemed shocked as she skidded to a stop only a few metres from me. After a moment of us staring at each other, she began to back up slowly towards the trees she'd popped out from.

I smirked. "You're not runnin' away, are you?"

She scoffed and switched to the offensive. "Ha. Fresh Meat's gutsier than he looks. Don't tell me you're looking for a showdown."

"That's the point, innit? These try-outs are nothin' but a standoff," I kept my smirk. "May the best Attuned win."

"The last guy I beat said the same thing, but if you think you can do better, by all means," she said cockily.

"You shouldn't have said that," I chortled, eyeing her flag. I looked at Orien and he jumped into his own offensive stance. When I felt his magic flowing through me, I extended my hand towards the ground, surprised at how much magic actually shot out of me. The ground rippled slightly before the trees began to grow behind her. The roots sprouted from the ground and wrapped her legs while the branches extended and trapped her arms, holding her like a scarecrow.

"Holy crap! Please stop!" she shrieked. Before she was almost completely covered, I nicked her flag.

"I guess you should have run away when you had the chance," I smirked again. I knelt down and held out a hand to Orien and, amazingly, he high-fived me without a single command.

We jogged off into the trees to search for a new opponent, flag in hand. The terrain changed once more, putting us in a swampy area. I could hear the chirping of the birds turn into the caws of a crow. To keep him from getting his paws muddy, I pulled Orien onto my shoulder. We trekked for a while before everything became covered in a dense fog. _Where is everyone?_ A splash made me spin around at lightning speed. The puddle of water nearby rippled, but it didn't seem like anyone was there. Something in the reflection seemed off. I took a step towards it, looking down into the murky water. "Holy shit!" I took a step back when I saw the same guy I'd seen previously in mirrors. He reached towards me, but I wasn't going to stick around to find out what he had in mind. I tried to step backwards, but I fell. It was only then that I'd realised he'd almost gotten hold of my ankle. Orien jumped in front of me and snarled protectively. My reflection was startled and suddenly disappeared. _What the fuck?!_ My heart was pounding in my ears. The only thing able to break me away from my downward spiral of thoughts was the piercing sound of the captain's whistle. The forest disappeared and the Thief pitch returned.

Every student seemed a bit out of place when we reappeared, some falling to the ground, some in strange poses. The whistle blew again, and the captain stood up. "Alright, I've seen enough to make my decision. When I call your name, come up to the stands and I'll let you know if you've made the cut."

"Hold on a second… what… what the hell was that?" I looked back towards the spot where the puddle had been, but it was just grass. Orien turned around and cocked his head at me, worried. I noticed all the stares a while after I should have. I looked at Griffin. "You were watchin' from the stands. Did you see any of that?"

The captain sighed. "Freshie, getting freaked out is part of the game. You're gonna have to get used to it."

"But that wasn't-," I started, feeling rage build up, but then I stopped. It wasn't something I needed to tell them. I needed to talk to Zeph and Shreya. I let out a deep breath and pulled myself off the ground, looking down at Orien. "You believe me, don't you?" I asked quietly, just to be sure I wasn't crazy. He rubbed up against my leg. "Thanks, mate," I scratched under his chin. He licked my hand before disappearing.

While I was talking to Orien, Captain had turned his attention to the rest of the students, calling them up one by one to get their results. Finally, he called me up. He flipped through the sheets on his clipboard, his feet propped up on the chair in front of him. He set the clipboard down and looked up at me. "Okay, damn. Where have you been all my life? It almost hurts my pride to say this, but the team _needs_ you." He sat up straight and grinned. "What I'm saying is, congrats. You made varsity."

"Oh, er, thank you. That's great," I faked being excited, a bit uneasy still.

"Look, I get that you were kinda spooked by that last terrain, but don't worry," he said. "We practice terrain preparedness extensively. You can expect an official practice schedule by the end of the week. I'm glad to have you on the team, Miller. Not many first years have the honour." He held out his hand. I shook it, but it wasn't long before his attention was on the next person, which was fine by me. "Next up, Zephyr Hernandez!"

I left the stadium and leaned against one of the grand columns just outside the main door. There were four tall columns, each supporting a golden dryxmar, the school's mascot. The bases of each column were solid gold as well, and the four of them bordered a grassy square with the school's seal stamped down in a golden circle, like a wax seal on an old letter.

I let out a deep breath, trying to understand what had happened in the last terrain, as I waited for Zeph. I needed to tell him. That reflection of mine was really creeping me out… and he'd _grabbed_ me this time. I heard footsteps and my eyes darted up from my feet to find Zeph looking rather defeated.

"There's one dream up in smoke," he mumbled to himself. "Classic Zeph, couldn't make the cut."

I frowned as I walked over to him. "Oh no. Not _more_ bad news…"

He looked up urgently, apparently not realising that I'd been waiting for him. He forced a smile as if I hadn't seen his disappointment already. "Captain told me the news. Congrats! I knew you'd make it if you tried out," his smile didn't faulter, but his eyes showed his jealousy. "And varsity, too! I only made JV, but oh well, right? I shouldn't have bought this special jersey," he let out a forced laugh. "I can't believe I was so sure I'd get onto varsity. Stupid, right?"

I sighed. "Zeph…," the longer I stared at him, the more effort it took him to maintain his façade. "My spot should be yours. Thief is _your_ thing. I just kind of fell into it."

"Don't worry about it," he waved me off. "I'm used to my best being second best by now." I was going to object to his negativity, but he shook himself back into a smile. "I still got a flag during try-outs! My abuela would be so proud." He turned back towards the stadium doors and his face finally fell. "I honestly don't know why I'm so surprised I didn't make it. It's not like-," he caught himself and forced another awkward smile as he turned back around. "Sorry. It's really not a big deal. It just hurts a little bit in the moment, you know? I'll be over it by dinner."

I could feel myself getting irritated at his self-deprivation. I pulled him into a hug a bit too aggressively, but after a moment, he let himself relax into it. "Zeph, why don't we go get lunch? We don't have to talk about anythin' in particular, just somethin' to cheer you up."

He pushed me away, his smile looking a bit more real, but not enough. "I'm totally fine! I was gonna head up to my next class early and get a bit of extra studying in anyway. You know, keep ahead of the curve." His eyes met mine, looking gutted. "I'll see you later, Perc."

Before he could turn away from me, I grabbed his shoulder. "I don't think so. You're my friend, Zeph, and I'm not goin' to let you be alone when you obviously feel this bad. Especially since it's sort of my fault."

His eyebrows shot up. "It's not! It's me, not you. You were great!" he looked down. "Besides, I'm being totally uncool right now. You do _not_ want to hear me start whining."

"I don't fancy repeatin' myself, mind," I spun him towards the stairs and slung my arm over his shoulders. "Come on, let's go get somethin' to eat." He was reluctant at first, but he eventually let me help.

We took our seats in the dining hall with heaping plates of food, mine filled with things I hadn't even tried before but was willing to try just to cheer him up with my weird reactions. He slouched in his seat, staring at his food, and let out a long sigh.

"Hey, I know try-outs meant a lot to you, and I hate seein' you this down, but I can't help but wonder if this is about more than just Thief," I eyed him from across the small round table. "Some of the stuff you've said about not bein' surprised and seemin' uncool makes me think that there's somethin' else goin' on."

He sighed again. "It's just… I'm used to not being the best in class. I try hard, but sometimes it's not enough," he frowned. "I've made my peace with that, but when it comes to outside the classroom, usually I'm so _good_ at stuff like teamwork, sports, and making friends, so I figured, 'hey, I've got the whole package for Thief. This is my time to shine!'"

"You did," I said, leaning over the table. "You have to be _good_ to get on junior varsity. If you weren't, they wouldn't have taken you. And I'm sure you'll make varsity next year."

He rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, but not making it _this_ year is just one more reminder that I don't have things together, like, at all."

I scoffed. "None of us do! Hell, I'm still comin' to terms with bein' sucked through a mirror and spat out into a lake in a magical world I didn't even know existed until a few days ago," I chuckled.

He laughed, finally smiling genuinely. "It's silly, but I wanted to be the freshman who started college and was already doing all these cool things, like playing on the sports team."

"It sounds to me like you were usin' Thief as a means to an end," I said bluntly.

His smile faded a bit. "Yeah… I guess I kind of was. And now I can't cross it off my bucket list, which is gonna bug me for the rest of the year."

I laughed. "Aren't bucket lists for old people about to die?"

"I'm pretty sure they're for anyone with big dreams, and you're looking at _the_ dreamer," he grinned. "I even carry mine around for good luck… not that it helped during try-outs."

"Zeph, it's okay to not know where you fit in yet. That's what the college experience is all about, findin' your place in the world," I said. "You know what? You were probably just tryin' to cross the wrong thing off your list today. What else is on it?" He smirked weakly and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and pushed it towards me without a word. "'Make friends'," I read. "Check. 'Confirm Water-Att.' Also check," I grinned. "'Pet an actual dryxmar' in all caps with… _five_ exclamation marks," I laughed.

"I heard they giggle when you pet their trunks!" he beamed. "They're hard to find, but I've got all year and I'm persistent."

"'Eat twenty dragon links for breakfast and breathe fire'?" I squinted at the paper. "Zeph, is that even humanly possible?"

He smirked. "That's what the rumours say, at least. You eat all twenty, you breathe actual fire."

"No, I mean, is it humanly possible to eat twenty dragon links in one sittin'? Those things are hot," I remembered my shame at not being able to eat one without nearly dying, and I _love_ spicy food.

"I repeat, I've got all year, and I'm persistent," he chuckled. "I also want to join a weirdly cool club and find somewhere cool on campus."

"Define 'somewhere cool,'" I asked, thinking that most of the campus was pretty damn interesting.

"Where I grew up," he started, "there's this weeping willow in the middle of a pond in the park, but the pond is always freezing so nobody goes out there."

"Let me guess, except you?"

"Bingo," he beamed. "I waded out one day in the middle of summer and it turns out a bunch of imps lived under the canopy," he explained. "They were super grumpy that I interrupted their brunch, but I won them over with my stellar personality and became a regular brunch guest."

I laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like you." I looked around then back at him. "I can't believe you've had so much magic in your life already. I wish I had that."

He nodded. "I guess it's easy to take magical things for granted if you've grown up with them. Honestly, seeing how excited you are about magic makes being at Penderghast even more magical for me."

"Really? How so?" I asked.

"Everything is new and different to you, but you're trying to make the most of it," he said. "If I'd been thrown into a magical world like you, I'd be freaking out."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, I _am_ freakin' out… on the inside…," I tried to keep a straight face, but his smile made me grin. I was scared at the thought of getting found out when I'd finally found a place where I felt _right_. I had to hide the fact that I was utterly terrified, as well as amazed, by all of the crazy things happening around me. "It helps havin' mates like you."

He squinted at me then nodded to himself. "You know what? You're right. Even if I didn't make varsity, I can still cross _something_ off my list." He pushed his plate away from him and stood up to grab another plate, this one loaded with dragon links. He sat down with a sense of purpose and stared at the sausages as they steamed in front of him, one of them still sending out tiny licks of flame. "I'm doing this, Perc. I feel inspired, no, _unstoppable._" He skewered his first link and held it up to his lips, preparing himself. I held up my hand, trying to object, but I was too late. He took a huge bite, devouring just over half of the first link. I was speechless. He ate three before the effects began to take place.

"Are… are you really goin' for twenty? Should I call the fire department?" I joked while honestly concerned about his well-being.

He shook his head and kept eating, his face as red as the links before him. Sweat began to bead on his brow and run down the side of his face. His eyes started watering. "Come on, talk me through this! Distract me! I need your help here," he pleaded.

I shook my concern away and stood up quickly, sending my chair back with a loud screech that silenced the room. I stood on the chair and cupped my hands to my mouth. "Give me a Zed!" I shouted. "Give me an E!" I continued. One student a few tables over shouted back at me. Zeph looked like he was about to die, but he shoved another two into his face. "Give me a P!"

"This is beyond embarrassing," I heard Beckett behind me, but he was quickly drowned out by the crowd getting involved with a roaring P.

"Give me an H!" I screamed proudly over them. Some of them got to their feet to shout back at me.

"Percy! I can't feel my tongue!" Zeph looked up at me, red as hellfire.

"You did it, Zeph!" I stared down at his empty plate.

"Holy- I did it!" he cheered as he looked down. "I did it!" he stood up triumphantly, fists in the air as the sweat drenched his jersey. The crowd was silent as his eyes went wide and his hands grasped at his mouth.

"You are not goin' to honk," I said, jumping off the chair and rushing over to him, ready to guide him out of the room if necessary.

Just as I touched his shoulder, he let out a massive belch, fire shooting out of his mouth and extending up to the floating light fixture above us. Everyone, including me, ducked. It was so hot. When the fire finally dissipated, the candles on the chandelier were lit. The crowd applauded and whistled at him.

"Ugh," he groaned and collapsed back into his chair, his head hitting the table. "I think that's the closest I'll ever get to being a Fire-Att," he mumbled weakly.

"That was incredible. You alright, mate?" I asked.

He lifted his head and smiled through the tears streaming relentlessly down his cheeks. "I feel like a champion," he said, his voice gruff from his sore throat. He sat up swiftly. "If I'd made varsity, I wouldn't have learnt that I have an actual bionic stomach," was his realisation of the entire event. I stood him up and made him bow, holding his arm up like a wrestling champion.

The dining hall went wild until the noon bell rang through the windows, making everyone immediately pack up and start leaving.

"Class starts in ten!" Zeph pulled his arm out of my grasp and snatched his bag off the floor, grabbing his list as he did so. "I've got to go! Thanks for lunch, Perc!" he said before darting out to join the herd.

"Hey," I called after him, "don't forget to cross this off your list!"

"You know it!" he beamed, still crying. I laughed.

I was on my way to my room when Shreya nearly ran me over on her way down the stone steps outside of the dorm. "Watch out!" I said before realising that it was her. I caught her by the waist, but her momentum made me spin and fall down a step. Her hands landed on my shoulders to keep her from falling out of my grasp as I regained my balance on the stone landing between stairs.

"Look at you, sweeping me off my feet," she laughed. "I was just on my way to lunch."

"You were leggin' it to lunch?" I asked, putting her down.

As she straightened her blouse, she said, "Do _not_ judge. Rumour has it that Chef Gillespe Saint Montraire is catering today! He has _three_ Michelin stars and _five_ D'Uvrey goblets." I had no idea what any of that meant, but it didn't stop her from continuing. "He made the menu for my Sweet Sixteen gala, but we had to get on the wait list _two_ _years_ in advance!" She looked me over. "Oh, were you doing some sports?"

"Thief try-outs," I explained. "I made the team, but-," she cut me off.

"No way! I heard Penderghast goes all out for Thief! The parties are _everything,_" she raved. You're gonna be campus famous!" she squealed.

"Shreya," I tried to ground her. There was no stopping her once she got started. "Listen, somethin' weird is goin' on." She cocked her head, finally letting me speak. "While I was at try-outs that guy from the mirror showed up again, and this time he actually touched me. He tried to grab my ankle from a puddle," I told her. "On top of that, I saw Aster earlier today and she was tryin' to warn me about somethin' while she was doin' that branchin' thing."

"Do you think she was trying to warn you about your reflection… or something else?" she asked, now rather concerned.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I think I need to look for answers somehow. Enough of this 'I'm just tryin' to blend in' crap. Obviously, keepin' my head down isn't workin'," I furrowed my brows and stared at the campus behind her. "More and more bad things keep happenin'. If I don't do anythin' about it, I won't stand a chance against whatever it is that's comin' after me."

She smiled and clapped her hands together. "Spoken like a true fighter. What's the plan?"

I sighed and rubbed a hand down my face to the back of my neck. "I dunno… Bristol wasn't my speed, but at least it wasn't _dangerous_. There weren't any magical forces out to get me… How am I supposed to handle this?" I asked, not really expecting an answer, but hoping for one. "It's not like I took a 'Fightin' Mysterious Evil Forces 101' class," I paused. "Wait… is that a thing? Do they have that here?"

She shook her head with a laugh and put her hand on her hip. "No, but I'm here. With me at your side, some wispy shadows and a reflection that _so_ doesn't do your gorgeous face justice won't be a problem!" I smiled and shook my head. "I don't want you to lose all your wonder for the magical world yet," she put a hand on my shoulder and stared into my eyes. "I'll make sure this place stays special for you, and that means helping you stay safe. And if there's one person you can count on, it's a Mistry," she smirked. "The magical community's most trusted helping hand since 1202."

I chuckled. "Shreya, have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?"

She waved me off. "Aw, c'mon. I'm not saying all this for you to thank me. You're the first friend I made at Penderghast and my closest friend here. I'm serious about helping you."

"I'm serious, too," I said. "I've told you some pretty crazy shit and you just accepted it without battin' an eyelash."

"I'm an incredible judge of character," she smirked. "I knew you were telling the truth and I'm so glad I listened. My life would have been so dull if I hadn't." She paused for a moment then looked around. "You know what? The dining hall just won't cut it for lunch today. A Gillespe Saint Montraire meal needs more ambiance."

"What are you getting' at?"

"I'm saying, let me take you on a picnic!" she beamed. "We haven't tried all the knobs on our portal door yet. Let's sneak some lunch out of the dining hall and eat somewhere new!"

"I just ate with Zeph, though," I said.

She squinted up at me. "But did you have dessert? Because that's what _I_ mean by lunch. Gellespe Saint Montraire is all about the sweets."

I smirked. "I always have room for dessert." I shrugged. "I guess a change of scenery would be nice. Campus feels more and more like a nebulous force of evil."

"If anyone deserves to get away from campus for a relaxing, worry-free picnic, it's you," she beamed again. "Plus, you'll have my brilliant company, _and_ you can try all of my Saint Montraire favourites!"

"Fine, let's go," I agreed.

"Music to my ears!" she sang. "I've already got my Mistry three-shelved pantry bag. Refrigeration included!"

I found myself back in the dining hall only moments after I'd left. Shreya had me handing her so many treats that I was sure her three shelves were already full. When she'd decided that we had enough, we made a B-line for the door and made our way back to the dorm, where she double-checked the bag to make sure we had everything. I looked over her shoulder and saw actual shelves in the bag. It was nearly a metre deep and I was surprised she could fit her short arm down that far.

"I don't think they're goin' anywhere, Shreya," I said as she continued to stare at the pastries.

"I just want to make sure they won't fall over!" she justified. "Half of the Saint Montraire experience is the presentation, after all."

I chuckled. "Okay, well, while you're doin' that, I'm goin' to get changed," as was my original mission once I'd returned to the room.

"Nonsense, you look great!" she beat me to the door and grabbed the third handle from the top. She swung the door open, but all that was there was a swirling green vortex. All the other knobs opened specifically into a certain area, but this… Then I remembered her telling me that the one that led to an open field opened up in a tree. She grabbed my hand and pulled me through.

On the other side was an open meadow with wildflowers, a few trees, one of which we'd just stepped out of, and a small river. Birds were chirping loudly and the sound of students talking in small groups could be heard from over a small hill. Another group of students stood in a circle around a pure white tree as a rainbow of magic popped around them.

"Where are we?" I inquired.

"At the base of one of the school-sanctioned hiking trails," Shreya explained. "A lot of the environmental classes do fieldwork in the area as well. It's the perfect place if you ever need to step out and take a breather," she said, grabbing my wrist to pull me along. She let go after a few paces and sat down on the grass, patting the spot next to her for me to sit. "But _we're_ here to get our sugar fix!" she beamed, digging through the bag in her lap. "I want you to try a fruit franglepuff, a dragon's delicacy, and a Saint Montraire éclair, of course." She set three plates out in front of me. "The surprise is they each have a different magical effect, but I don't want to spoil them for you. Go ahead and pick one to find out what happens." She stared at me eagerly.

"Er, this is safe, right?" I asked. "I'm not goin' to explode or lose my tongue or anythin'?"

She let out a loud laugh. "You are _so_ dramatic! They're one hundred percent safe, two hundred percent delightful."

I reached hesitantly towards what looked like a macaroon. It crunched when I bit into it, but the fruity flavour was quite satisfactory. "Oh, mon dieu! Ce gout… c'est comme… c'est comme le soleil brille dans ma bouche!" I froze. "Shreya, pourquoi est-ce que je parle… _francais?!_" I was speaking French?!

Shreya had to hold her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "This is the best thing since everyone suddenly started chattering away in French at my sweet sixteen!" she giggled.

"When does it… stop," I asked, realising it as soon as I said it. "Oh, thank god," I covered my face with my hands. My mum would have been so ashamed.

Shreya wiped at her eyes. "The more you eat, the longer it lasts," she explained. "A fruit franglepuff makes you a francophone until you can't taste it anymore."

I groaned. "But, Shreya, I'm English! I can't go around speakin' French…" My poor mum… turning in her grave. I laughed at the thought.

"Pish posh," she mocked. "Be multi-cultural. It's fun."

"You certainly do know a lot about desserts," I changed the topic.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder proudly. "I do consider myself a connoisseur of sorts. I like the finer things in life." She bit her cheek. "My sister ate all of the leftover eclairs the morning after my birthday. I was so mad, I didn't talk to her for a week."

"You should have labelled them," I joked. "'Birthday girl's. Touch and you will feel my wrath.'"

"That's exactly what Nehal said!" she looked at me, shocked. "She didn't even get in trouble for it. Our parents thought _I_ was being overdramatic!"

"What, you, overdramatic?" I teased. She threw a serviette at me angrily. "It sounds like your sister pulled the perfect éclair heist."

"Well, that's Nehal for you, always doing things perfectly. She's an Air-Att. Thinks first, acts second. Knows just the right thing to say or do," she pursed her lips. "She can rationalise her way out of anything and has never been a problem child…"

"You and Nehal sound like complete opposites," I said.

She shrugged. "We balance each other out in a lot of ways, and just like fire needs air to keep burning, she's always there to boost me up when I need it," she explained. "When I'm upset, she knows how to calm me down. When she's feeling bored or unmotivated, I take her out and make her live a little."

"Havin' siblings sounds fun," I smiled, but I was proper jealous. Zeph had an interesting relationship with his sister, Beckett's life was driven by the competition with his sister, and Shreya and Nehal complemented each other perfectly. I hated being an only child more and more every day.

"Our parents like to say that I'm the tech-savvy one, while Nehal has the three P's I lack," she said. "Prim, proper, and presentable," she frowned, digging her fork into her éclair. "In a way, Nehal is my rock. She cools my flames, but she also always makes me feel like the cool older sister I try so hard to be," she smiled weakly. "I just hate when people compare us, and by 'people' I mean our parents when the whole 'carry the family business' thing comes up."

"It sounds to me like they believe in you, though, even if their goals for you aren't the same as your own," I tried to comfort her.

She nodded slightly. "I appreciate that they see potential in me, but I should be allowed to pave my own way. My youth is about figuring out who I am. Even though I still don't really know what that is."

"Hey, if anyone has themselves figured out as a first-year college student, they're the odd one out," I chuckled. "I had a similar conversation earlier today, so I know you're not the only one who feels overwhelmed. I'm still figurin' everythin' out, and don't even ask me about my future. I have no idea where I'm headed anymore, which means I have an abundance of options to explore," I told her.

"I hope that when Nehal goes to college in two years, she'll set out with the same mindset," she smiled thoughtfully. "I want her to thrive, like I am here at Penderghast."

I cocked my head. "Shreya, what's your life goal?"

She laughed. "You're so dramatic, Percy!" she threw another serviette at me, but then thought for a minute. "My entire childhood was about preparing for one set-in-stone future. I just don't believe in that anymore. It goes against my nature."

"What makes you say that?"

"We humans are such flighty creatures," she wiggled her fingers in the air like a bird taking off. "Our emotions jump around all the time. We develop interests, lose them, figure out we suck at things we like, or excel at things we never even considered before. I've found that it's much easier to navigate life by ditching things like life goals and setting daily ones instead."

I chuckled again. "Okay, so what's today's goal?"

She squinted at me, a sly smirk brushing across her face. "Today's was to make you smile, and I've succeeded many times over. Thanks, Percy… For being a good friend and for, you know, being so chill about my big personality. I'm sure it can get a little overwhelming."

"Not at all. It's one of your greatest qualities," I grinned. I picked up one of the treats she'd set out; it looked like pink fudge with chocolate drizzled over it. I held it up to her face.

She took it from my hand with a giggle. "Thanks. What's this for?"

"Friendship," I said simply, just wanting to see her smile forever. She had a warm and contagious smile.

"Very eloquent, and very sweet," she giggled again. "Want to see what a razzle-dazzle does?" She took a bite and her hair began to billow like a gust of wind was continuously blowing at only her.

She handed me an éclair. I bit into it and immediately burst into song. "What the hell was that?" I asked when it wore off.

We spent the next half hour eating the strange sweets and laughing our heads off. Afterwards, I dropped Shreya at her next class and headed back up to the dorm to finally change clothes… or at least I was going to… I'd gotten so wrapped up in my own thoughts about the try-outs and my reflection that I'd ended up in a part of the school I didn't recognise. It was similar to the other hallways in the main building, but there was a display case at the end of the hall and the usual blue flames on the wall sconces and torches were purple.

"What is with today? Have I racked up some bad karma without noticin'?" I asked myself. Behind me, there suddenly came a loud shrieking sound. I spun around. "What the-," I ducked as a shadow flew towards me, grazing my hair as it passed over my head. It screeched again. It was much larger and angrier than the first shadow I'd encountered, and it had claws. The corridor went dark, leaving barely enough of that purple glow for me to see. The eyes on the shadow swivelled around to the back of its head. "Ah hell," I tried to stand up, but it lunged towards me again, this time lower, and I was forced to jump towards the wall. _There's no way I can outrun this thing_. It took me a second, but I was able to cast the first spell that came to mind. I threw a fireball, but it died out before it even left my palm. "Damn it! Orien?" I looked around for him when I heard him yip. He materialized right in front of me, and I could feel his magic pulsing through me within seconds. "Here goes," I threw another fireball, this one larger and burning brighter, but it disappeared as it hit the shadow's smoky body. "Bloody hell," I sighed. The shadow growled angrily and darted towards me once more. I threw my arms up, out of options. A loud, husky bark drew my attention as Orien leapt in front of me and growled at the creature. "Orien, no! Move!"

"Begone!" a voice commanded, and a blinding white light filled the room. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw Professor Swan standing in front of Orien, who was shaking with terror.

I picked him up in one swift motion and held him in my arms to comfort the both of us. He whimpered. "You're alright, boy. It's going to be alright." He looked up at me, sadness in his eyes, before disappearing. My attention refocused on the lump of black shadow on the ground, writhing in pain. "What…"

"Perseus, follow me!" Swan ordered, starting back down the hallway. I was going to object, but she added, "There's no time!"

I stood to follow her, but I noticed something glowing in the creature's shadowy figure. It was some red rock. After investigating it briefly, I picked it up and shoved it into my bag. When I looked back, the shadow was gone.

"Perseus, please!" her voice echoed. "You're in grave danger, and you must follow me if you want my help."

Without knowing what else to do, I followed her. The rock was oddly heavy now that it was in my bag, but I didn't think much of it. Answers were just around the corner and I needed them more than anything else in my life.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Office Hours

I was rushing after Professor Swan down a series of hallways, my mind still reeling from nearly dying. "What was that?"

Without turning around at all, she hollered back at me, "Come on. We can't afford to linger here. It might not be safe. Too many shadows." She seemed almost out of breath, but she pushed forward, keeping a steadily fast pace as we wove through the main building. Suddenly, she stopped. I nearly ran into her, but she took a step to the side, avoiding the crash. She opened a small wooden door an urged me to get inside post haste.

It was a small, cluttered office with bookshelves covering every inch of the walls. Books that didn't fit on the shelves were stacked up to my hip on the floor in various piles. The room was lit by tall candles on the scattered side tables and never seemed to burn down. On the far side of the room sat a thick, heavy oak desk with an armchair behind and in front of it, neither matching the other in the slightest. She gestured for me to sit in the blue plaid chair as she took her seat in the brown leather armchair across the desk. I looked around, noticing odd trinkets placed in front of and between the books on the shelves. There was a gramophone, a globe, an old metal electric fan, and what looked like a crystal ball. On her desk was a wildly growing plant and a small stone statue of a unicorn. Behind her head, I noticed a large star chart taking up a decent section of the back wall, twinkling and spinning ever so slowly.

"It looks like you're still in one piece," she let out a sigh of relief, "aside from a few bruises." I cocked my head at her, hoping she'd finally answer my questions. "That's good, that's good. I'd never hear the end of it if you weren't…," she continued then closed her eyes for a few moments. Suddenly, her eyes shot open as she jumped in her chair, shifting forward to lean onto the desk. "Oh! I'm Professor Swan, in case you didn't know that already. I teach the Sun-Atts and Moon-Atts here at Penderghast. Can I get you anything? A cup of tea, or perhaps something stronger…"

I shrugged. "A mix of both would be nice," I joked, though I wasn't particularly in a joking mood.

She shot up from her seat and busied herself in the back corner of her office. "No, wait, you're a student! Just tea, just tea…" She put the bottle of whiskey she'd been holding down, but didn't let go of it. After a moment of deliberation, she poured herself a glass of whiskey and made me a cup of tea. She set the two cups down on her desk, but I couldn't pick mine up yet.

"Professor, perhaps this should wait until _after_ we have a little talk," I said, looking up from my tea. "I keep gettin' attacked, and I'd really like to know why."

"Why do you think that I-," she started.

"You showed up right after the first monster attacked me, Professor. You have to know somethin'," I bit the inside of my cheek. "Please… Tell me," I pleaded.

She let out another sigh, but this one was longer and held more weight. She fidgeted with the rings on her fingers. "Yes, of course. You must have a great many questions, naturally," she looked up at me with a nervous smile. "But tea first," she pushed my cup towards me.

I took a sip, letting the bitter flavour wash over my tongue. There was a tinge of sweetness in the aftertaste. As the first gulp went down, I felt instantly at ease. "That's interestin'," I raised an eyebrow at the steaming brown liquid.

"It's dragon oolong," she said. "It's one of my favourites. Good for inner peace… I just hope the honey was okay. I find it's just the right amount of sweet." She smiled proudly, completely distracted from the matter at hand.

I caught her eyes. "Can we get back to talkin' about what just happened?"

"Right, of course!" she shifted nervously in her chair, her youthful face scrunching under the waves of messy dark hair that framed her thin cheeks. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, what the hell was that thing?" I asked, the image of the screeching shadowy creature flashing through my mind once more.

She hung her head, but kept her eyes locked on mine. "I honestly don't know. It's evidently some kind of shadow creature, and it must want something from you."

I set the teacup back down on the desk. "Me? But what could I have that it wants?"

"Normally, magic creatures only attack if they're cornered or defending their territory, but this is different," she explained. "It's really quite fascinating." She took a sip of her whiskey, holding it with both hands. "Whatever it is, it seems to have locked onto you."

"Fascinatin'?" I shook my head, letting out a laugh of disbelief. "Okay, well, how did you stop it? What was that spell you used?"

She set down her glass and folded her hands on the desk, leaning on her elbows. "I used Sun magic. Creatures of shadow are weak to the sun, since it damages their physical form, which takes time to recover."

"So, you're sayin' that monster could come back and attack me again?" I asked, feeling a _bit_ worried.

She shook her head. "No. At least, I think not. Once a creature has dissolved like that, it would take a truly powerful force to bring it back," she explained. "You can think of it like this: If you cut a tree down, you wouldn't expect the tree to rise again from its stump-," she spoke with her hands, but cut herself off, holding one hand daintily to her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry. I went straight into teaching mode. There won't be a quiz on this later, I promise."

I chuckled. "Actually, I could use that right about now. Not the quiz, maybe, but the teachin'."

"I'll tell you what I can," she nodded, her eyes softening as they met mine.

I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering about the other things that had happened in the past few days. "What about that picture of me? Why did you have it?"

"Wh-what? A picture of you?" she stuttered, sitting up straight in her chair. "I've never had a picture of you in my life."

"I followed you into the lost and found room," I told her. "The picture was in a bag full of weird stuff, just sittin' in the middle of the floor, not pushed up against the wall like everythin' else. It wasn't there the last time I was there, and you were the only other person around," I stared at her, accusingly. I didn't want to be mean, but I needed answers.

"A bag? Oh, that must be…," she trailed off. "I mean!" she quickly corrected herself. "I don't know anything about a bag, or a picture! Not at all. Why would I?" She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting around the room. She shot up from her chair. "I just realised, I need to check that hall again. That monster should have left behind some kind of trace after I destroyed it." I looked down at my bag, but gritted my teeth. She wasn't telling me everything, so why should I?

"There wasn't anythin' left in the hallway," I lied. "I checked, and if you don't want to tell me the truth about that picture, then fine."

She hesitated, looking between me and the door. After a moment, she took her seat once more. "I am telling you the truth. I'm sure it was a coincidence. All sorts of stuff ends up in that lost and found, whether we intend it to or not."

I stared at her for a minute, knowing she was lying, but so was I. "Why should I trust you?" I asked bluntly. "I've seen you in the halls watchin' me. How do I know it's not _you_ tryin' to hurt me?" I kept a straight face, but I'm sure my eyes gave away my distrust. I had been through too much in the last few days to be denied answers. If she wasn't going to tell me now, fine, but I needed to know I could trust her answers. Maybe she _did_ know who was after me or why the shadows kept attacking me. Maybe she knew about the reflection…

"But if I were, why would I have jumped in and rescued you?" she asked, looking a bit shocked. "If I had wanted you gone, I would have let the creature do its job or I could have killed you right here and now. It wouldn't be hard," her expression relaxed, looking more analysing than cold. "Not that I would, of course. Just that I _could_… Oh, that still sounds bad," she braced her forehead with her hands.

I rubbed a hand down my face with a groan. "I just don't get it. This is the second shadow creature that's attacked me."

"I don't think that's random," she said. "It's like a target has been placed on your back, drawing these monsters in," her voice was sure, her eyes honest. She knew more than she was telling me…

"So, you're sayin' that I'm bein' hunted?" I asked, starting to regret my decision to stay at Penderghast.

"Perseus," her eyes met mine, demanding my attention. "I'm working on figuring out who is coming after you, but in the meantime, we need to be cautious. It'd probably be best for you to not tell anyone what happened. We don't know who we can trust."

"What if another one of those monsters comes along? What then?"

She held up a hand to reassure me. "Let me worry about that. It's a professor's job to look after their students and ensure they have a safe environment to learn in," she said. "At least that's what the brochure says."

"I can't just sit around waitin' to get attacked and hopin' that you'll be there to rescue me!" I argued.

She looked down at a strange looking device on her wrist, I equated it to a wristwatch, and nodded. "Well, I suppose there is _one_ spell that I could teach you, but you're still so new at magic that I'm not sure you're ready for it."

"Try me," I stated bluntly.

She nodded to herself after a moment. "It's a protective charm of sorts. An effective use of your natural Sun abilities."

"So, I'll be able to obliterate any shadow creature that comes my way?" I asked.

"No! The spell I used earlier is far too complex for someone still learning basic mastery of the elements!" she shook her head. "Think of it more like a shield, a way of protecting yourself should the need arise." She looked over the desk at me, analysing my face. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to cast right now? You still look rather shaken up."

I looked down at the teacup. "I can handle it, Professor." I took a large gulp of the tea, feeling the calming effect wash over me. "Besides, it doesn't matter how I'm feelin'. I need to learn this to protect myself."

She nodded. "Excellent. I admire your determination, Perseus," she stood and gestured for me to rise from my chair, too. "Sun magic revolves around the use of light and time because the sun gives us light and signifies the passage of time," she jumped right back into teaching mode. "Now, the spell I'm going to teach you will create a shield by bending the light around you through the observation of time."

"Bendin' light… through the observation of time?" I repeated back, not understanding how to do that at all.

"Precisely. Now, pick something to focus on, preferably something that moves, so you can see it change as the seconds pass. I use my watch, but really anything will do," she pointed to the contraption on her wrist. "Once you have that object, feel yourself in relation to it. See how you interact. Then channel that magic into your arms and…," she spread her arms out to her sides and brought them up over her head, clapping loudly as her hands met. "Solis!" she said, and a bright light shot out from her hands and surrounded her in a glowing bubble. After a few moments, it faded, and she put her hands down.

"Mint…," I stared in awe.

She waved her hands towards me. "Go on. You try it."

I stared at the star chart behind her, counting the seconds as it slowly rotated. I concentrated on my breath, breathing in and out every few seconds. I held my arms out to the sides and raised them over my head, clapping loudly as I repeated the word, "Solis." I felt warmth and looked down to see the bright bubble surrounding me. "Sick," I whispered. A loud crackle got my attention as a ball of electricity slammed into the shield. I flinched, but the bubble absorbed the shock, making sparks fall to the floor like dying fireworks. "Bloody hell! You didn't say you were goin' to attack me!"

She giggled. "I needed to make sure you were casting the shield correctly, and you did. Flawlessly. Well done."

I shook my head and the bubble disappeared. "Well, at least now I know what to do if I get attacked again."

"Indeed. Now, you'll have to excuse me. I've got to get back to my research, and I'm sure you've got homework waiting for you," she shifted some things on her desk and made her way around the desk to the door.

"But there's still so much I don't understand!" I objected.

"I think you've learned quite enough for one day. I'm sure you'll feel better after a good night's rest," she looked sternly at me. "And remember, it's prudent that we keep the monster and these attacks quiet. Just until we figure out who we can trust." I sighed and grabbed my bag off the floor, heading towards the door she was holding open. "Keep up your magical studies. We'll be starting your Sun-Attunement practice soon. I'll try to be prepared."

Even if Swan didn't want me to, I was obviously going to tell Shreya. I went back to my dorm, expecting to find her, but I didn't. I dropped off my bag and _finally_ changed out of my jersey and back into my jeans. It seemed that the longer I was there, the more my closet seemed to fill up. Things from my flat in Bristol began appearing all around my new room. The closet had most of my clothes hanging in it now and the shelves hanging around the room were slowly filling with books and items from my old place. I wondered if this had happened to anyone else or just me, since I was the surprise student.

The silence of the common area seemed ominous. I didn't want to be alone. I was still shaky, as I should've been. _I think that tea is wearin' off_. After getting ready, I headed to the dining hall to find Shreya… and get some nosh. All the magic use made me hungry as hell. I found Shreya, Zeph, and Griffin sitting around a table near the centre of the hall and sat down at the empty chair.

"Percy, where have you been?" Zeph asked, looking like he'd just heard a killer joke. "You missed me shoving a whole piece of fizzleberry pie in my mouth!"

Shreya scoffed. "I wouldn't say you actually missed anything. It was disgusting."

"Hey, Percy," Griffin looked over at me, concern in his eyes. "You came in here in a hurry. Is everything okay?"

I shrugged. "I've been better. You won't believe what happened to me, but we shouldn't talk here. I don't want the whole school to know about it."

"You don't want the whole school to know about what?" a familiar voice came from behind me. I spun around and found Beckett leaning back in his chair, his head turned towards us.

"You're, like, everywhere. Do you just follow us around and eavesdrop?" Zeph held his hand out questioningly.

Beckett rolled his eyes. "You're the ones who are always talking so loudly!" He turned back to his book with a huff.

I leaned into the table and whispered, "We can't talk here. There're too many people. We need to go somewhere off the grid."

"I've got just the place," Griff whispered back. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Er, I'm goin' to grab somethin' before we go," I bit my lip when my stomach let out a loud growl.

Shreya giggled. "Yeah, I think your stomach would appreciate that."

I grabbed a serviette and rolled a few slices of sandwich into it. Of course, the sandwich wasn't a normal sandwich, but I'm not going to expand on that. Whatever your imagination comes up with, you're probably right.

As soon as I had a few snacks, I walked back over to the table and we all got up to leave. I glanced over my shoulder to the posh boy sitting alone, disgruntled and hastily turning pages in his book. "Beckett," I called to him, but he didn't look up. "Hey, twat," I said a bit louder. He looked up immediately. "You comin' or what?"

"Wait, are you talking to me?" he closed his book, but didn't move other than that.

"Who else would I insult so freely. Come on," I waved him over.

"Hang on," Shreya's hand landed on my shoulder. "He's coming with us? Are you sure he should know about… well… all of this?"

I shrugged. "He's my friend. Of course he's comin'."

He stared up at me, baffled. "Excuse me, but when exactly did that happen?" I raised my eyebrow at him, and he turned away, his ears going a bit pink. "I mean, yes. We're… _friends_," he struggled with the last word.

"Percy, he threw a fireball at you on the first day of class," Shreya argued.

I cocked my head. "_Technically_ I threw it at him first, but things have changed. It's amazin' what a night of school service can do to a relationship." I looked back over at Beckett. "So?"

He stood swiftly and slung his leather messenger bag over his shoulder, his book tucked neatly in his other hand. "Of course I'm coming. Naturally. That was my plan all along," he stammered, walking proudly, yet awkwardly, over to our group. I chuckled and jerked my head towards the doors.

We followed Griffin down a series of hallways, most of which looked exactly the same since it was the main building, until we were in an area devoid of people, noise, and classrooms. He stopped at the end of the hall and turned to face us.

"Why is it that every time I go anywhere with you, we end up at a dead-end hallway?" I asked jokingly.

He grinned. "I'll let you in on a secret. That's where all the cool stuff's hidden." He ran his hand along the wooden panelling on the side of the hallway and pressed in a piece of trim. A ladder dropped down from the ceiling and an invisibility spell wore off, revealing a trap door.

"I swear this place is chalked full of secret passageways…," I mumbled.

"The college has been around for over three centuries," Beckett scoffed. "Logically, there are places the general student body doesn't know about."

"And it's a lot nicer than hiding out in an empty classroom," Griff smirked as he started up the ladder.

The rest of us climbed up after him and emerged into a small stone room with a domed ceiling. _This must be one of the towers_. The walls were stone, but the room was warm and cosy. There was a foosball table with a red rug separating it from the hardwood floor, there was a record player with records filling a bookcase beneath it, bean bags everywhere, a large bookcase with rocks that changed colour every few seconds, a minifridge, and an old dining table. The walls were covered in Penderghast posters and Dryxmar trophies and flags. When I looked closer, I realised that it wasn't a foosball table. It was table-top Thief. The room was lit by blue flames, just like the hallway beneath it.

"Welcome to the Roost," Griff did a quick spin with his arms outstretched.

"Bloody hell… I want one," I looked around in awe.

"Me, too!" Shreya gasped behind me as she crawled into the room. "Imagine if this were a secret spa, with built-in hot springs… It'd be just like the one I have back home!"

The farther in I walked, the more the space seemed to open up. It was truly magical. "I bet Orien would love all this space to run around. He always gets antsy in my room." Upon hearing his name, he materialised right in front of me with an excited yip. "Hey, buddy!" I knelt down and pet his head. "How are you doin'? Feelin' better after everythin' today?" He howled happily and let his tongue hang out of his mouth. "Sounds like you're just fine," I chuckled. When I took my hand back, he darted around the room, bumping into the bookcase and skidding into a guitar on the far side of the room. "Uh, Orien… maybe you should find someplace to lie down, alright?" He tilted his head at me then made his home under the Thief table.

My friends settled in, Zeph and Griff flopping into the beanbags, Shreya taking a seat at the table, and Beckett leaning against the Thief table next to me. I took a deep breath and told Beckett and Griffin everything Zeph and Shreya already knew. When that was out of the way, I dove into what had happened that day.

"Back up for a moment," Beckett held up his hand. "You're saying that you were attacked by some sort of monster?"

I sighed. "Yeah, and that's not the first time, either. I got attacked the first day I was here, and I saw that weird reflection then, too. But… this last monster left behind some sort of rock. That's never happened before."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Eventually, Griffin cleared his throat. "When Zeph said you had a sheltered upbringing, I didn't realise you knew _nothing_ about magic."

"Forget about that!" Shreya stood up in her chair and sat on the table. "I was right! I knew that creature that showed up on day one wasn't just some prank!"

I nodded and folded my arms. "Yeah, it seems that way. Swan thinks I'm bein' targeted by someone."

"But who would want to attack you, Perc?" Zeph asked, leaning on his knees at the edge of the beanbag.

"They must be absurdly talented if they're getting through the school's wards," Beckett added, his thumb to his chin.

"Why do you sound so impressed?" Zeph asked accusingly.

"Do you have an idea of who could be behind it?" Griff asked, eyeing him the same way.

I looked over at him, too, but not to accuse him. "I think it has to be someone outside the school," I said, bouncing my idea off of him.

"That seems like the most logical option," he nodded briefly. "If someone was attacking you from within the school, the professors would have caught them."

Zeph sighed. "The rest of the world really narrows things down for us. It's just millions of people. No biggy."

"It could literally be anyone, mind," I sat on the floor and leaned against the table leg. "This isn't addin' up. Swan said the monsters were after me specifically, but it's not like I _did_ anythin'!" I grunted. "None of this makes any sense. There're monsters, my reflection, and the rock, but there must be somethin' I'm missin'. Some piece of the puzzle…" I drug my hand down my face. "How am I supposed to figure it out on my own?"

"Well, you won't be on your own," Shreya hopped off the table and sat beside me on the floor. "You have me, and let's be honest, with my mental aptitude and business savvy, you don't need much else."

Zeph smiled down at me. "Yeah, and I'm not about to run away when things have just gotten interesting around here."

"We're a team, Percy. We'll have your back no matter what," Griffin smirked, leaning forward with Zeph.

Beckett rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "And looking at this motley crew, I suppose I have no choice but to help, if anything's actually going to get done."

I looked around at all my supportive mates. "This… This is really cheesy, guys," I snickered. I was the only one laughing for a second, but soon they all joined in. Even Beckett cracked a smile.

"Hear, hear!" Shreya beamed. "And that's the perfect segue into…," she scrambled up from the floor and scurried over to her bag on the table. She pulled out a handful of multi-coloured string bracelets with beads on them. "Friendship bracelets!" she squealed. "I really didn't want to do my homework, and I figured you all needed some accessorizing," she said as she handed one to each of us. "Oh, and they're enchanted so you never have a bad hair day."

"I think you mean they're enchanted with _the power of friendship_," Zeph grinned widely as he tightened his around his wrist.

Shreya handed me mine. It said "Pend Pals" on the beads. "This is _so_ cheesy," I joked, slipping it onto my wrist.

She turned to Beckett, holding the last one out to him. His eyes were wide in surprise. "Yes, yes, there's one for you. You're lucky I was so convinced Zeph would break his that I made an extra," she put a hand on her hip, impatiently waiting for him to take it.

I was trying to tie mine, but it wouldn't cooperate for some reason. "Zeph, help me out?" I held my wrist out to him.

"What, you can't tie it on with just one hand and your mouth?" he joked.

"You can?" I asked, looking down at his wrist as he shook it, making the bracelet jingle against his jean jacket cuff button. "Yeah, I'm not coordinated enough for that."

He laughed. "I guess I'll take pity on you then," he said, stepping forward and tying it for me.

Shreya pulled us into a circle and eyed each one of us. "Perfection. We all look _so_ much better."

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal over a bracelet," Beckett stated.

"Why _knot_?" Zeph tried to stifle his laugh, but failed. I snickered and Shreya and Griffin laughed a bit too hard for that pun. Beckett let out a loud sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Guys, we're officially a team now," Griffin held up his arm, showing off the bracelet he'd tied on upside down. "Everybody in," he extended his fist into the middle of the group.

"Wait!" Zeph objected, pushing Griff's arm down. "We need a team name!"

"But we already have one! It's 'Pend Pals'!" Shreya pointed to her own bracelet. "Didn't you read the bracelet?"

Zeph shook his head. "We need something we all agree on!"

"Percy, why don't you do the honours?" Griffin asked.

"Why me?" I asked back.

He shrugged. "You are the one who brought us all together. I doubt any of us would be friends right now if it wasn't for you."

Shreya and Zeph nodded and Beckett looked away, crossing his arms. "I guess so." I thought for a moment. "What about 'Motley Crew'," I joked, thinking that they would turn it down and I'd have to retry. Beckett had said it earlier and I thought it was brilliant, but I really liked the band as well.

"But those bracelets say 'Pend Pals'!" Shreya objected.

"Motley Crew, huh?" Zeph looked up in thought. "I like it."

I looked between all of my friends. Not one of them said anything. "You… you guys aren't goin' to turn it down?"

"Why would we do that? It's a good name," Griffin agreed with Zeph.

"But it's… None of you know where that's from?" I was bewildered at their lack of pop culture knowledge, but then again… I guess if I'd grown up with magic, I wouldn't know either. They all shook their heads or stared blankly at me. "Okay, I've got my work cut out for me. You people are my project now," I sighed. Orien darted into our circle and hopped around each of our legs.

Griffin held his fist out to the centre, urging the rest of us to follow suit. We made a pentagon with our knuckles and bounced them in the air thrice before raising them above our heads with a loud, "Motley Crew!"

"I hate to be the burster of bubbles, but shouldn't we keep Percy from getting killed before celebrating?" Beckett asked, withdrawing his hand like none of us had seen him participate in our little hype session.

"Fair point. Anyone have any idea where we should start with that little task?" I asked.

Beckett rolled his eyes. "Honestly, do I have to do _all_ the work around here? We should start in the library, obviously. Preferably later, so _some_ of us can get our homework done."

I nodded. "Library at ten, then?" I asked and they all nodded in agreement. After setting a plan of sorts, we all started to leave the Roost. I was the last one out because I was trying to wangle Orien. He was running left, right, and centre with way too much energy. Eventually, I got him in my arms and headed for the ladder. I let Orien crawl onto my shoulders and bent down to start my descent, but something in the corner caught my eye. I swore I saw a shadow move.

"Percy, is something wrong?" Griffin asked from the hallway.

I glared at the room, staring at each dark spot for a few seconds before moving to the next. Nothing seemed to shift or be out of place, but I was still uneasy. "Yeah, everythin's fine. I'm just tired, I think." I made it to the ground, but before we all left, Griffin started back up the ladder. "Aren't you comin' with?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm still pretty beat from try-outs earlier, so I think I'm going to stay here," he said, gesturing upward. "Chill out, listen to some of my favourite Muses."

"Muses?" I inquired.

"Right, I forgot you're not from around here," he shook his head, like he still couldn't believe it. "It's like an Attuneless record, I guess, but trust me, it's _way_ cooler." _Oh, so that's what those records were._ "You're welcome to stay."

I took a deep breath. "I'm sure I won't be able to focus on my homework anyway, even if I tried, but I'm goin' to try to get some sleep in before we meet up later. I don't know if I'll get any, but I'm goin' to need it, I think."

"No worries. I'll see you tonight, then," he smiled and climbed up the ladder, giving me a quick wave before disappearing.

The rest of us split up. I was sure Beckett was already headed to the library to do his homework and whatever else he did for fun, and Zeph wanted to take a walk before heading back to his dorm, which left Shreya and me. We walked back to our room, chatting about the better things that had happened in our days. When we got to our common area, I went to my room and flopped down on my bed. I pulled some books off of my desk and opened two of them to the pages we'd left off on in class. Orien hopped up on the foot of the bed and made himself comfortable, watching me struggle. I tried to steady my mind and read, but the words seemed jumbled to me. Nothing made sense anymore. I looked around the room, looking for inspiration to focus, but the desk caught my eye. I opened the top drawer and stared at the torn photograph. _I need to focus. If I'm goin' to do anythin' around here, I can't slack off._ I sat back on my bed, facing the far wall, and concentrated on my breathing. For the next hour, I practiced every spell I'd learnt, from hand motions to actual conjuring of the spells, in moderation, of course. I was tired and couldn't have done them full force if I'd wanted to.

"Percy. Percy!" Shreya shook my shoulder.

I groaned. "Yeah?"

"It's almost ten. It's time to go," she said.

I looked at my watch. "Oh shit. You're right." We rushed out of the dorm and to the library, getting there just in time.

"You're late," Beckett looked up from the table. Griffin and Zeph were already seated across from him.

I sat next to him. "Sorry. I fell asleep."

"Feel better?" Griffin asked, and I nodded.

Shreya sat next to me as Beckett discussed his game plan. We needed to split up to find books on shadow creatures, ward magic, and anything else that might seem useful.

"After all the time Beckett and I spent in here shelvin' these books, findin' what we need should be easy-peasy," I joked, knowing it would never be that simple.

"Don't underestimate the library, Percy," Beckett confirmed my suspicion. "It has all sorts of secrets."

I turned fully towards him. "Alright, smarty-pants, where should we start?"

"We should each bring back a stack of books that seem relevant and skim through them," he started. "Griffin and I will handle investigating this rock the creature left behind. I know a few geology texts that might have the answer."

"You don't want to be my research buddy again?" I teased.

He looked away towards one of the shelves. "No, it's just… Griffin is an Earth-Att. This is-"

I patted his shoulder and laughed. "I know, Beckett. I'm just havin' a go."

"Zeph and I will look into the reflection you keep seeing," Shreya said, giving Zeph a look, to which he nodded.

"I'll find the information on the shadow creatures, then," I stood up. "Let's get to it."

We all split up to find our sections. After a while, we had so many books that we took up three tables. The next hour was spent skimming through our respected piles, taking note of _anything_ that could be relevant.

"Hey, Shreya. Look what I drew next to this unicorn," Zeph held a book out to her at the table next to mine.

She snickered. "Pft, is it stabbing someone in the butt?"

Griffin closed the book he'd just finished with a huff, sounding a bit like Beckett. "Will you two actually focus and quit drawing in library books? We have work to do."

"What do you mean drawing in library books?" Beckett shot up from his seat like a pope hearing whispers of blasphemy. "You can't be serious… you wouldn't actually…," the look of horror on his face was worth the poor book's defacing.

I chuckled to myself as I watched Griffin snatch the book from Zeph and erase the drawing. I closed the book I'd just finished myself and started on an encyclopaedia of magical creatures. I flipped through it, looking for relevant titles or keywords, and stopped on a page with a ton of illustrations, one of which looked a bit bigger than the two I'd dealt with, but was definitely on the right track. I held the book up to show the group.

"Looks like this," I said, pointing to the shadowy beast.

Beckett shot up from his chair and leaned over me to look closer at the picture. "Possibly…," he mumbled. "Let me see that," he took the book from my hands and scanned the page next to the pictures. "It says here that this monster appears sporadically, and has only ever been seen on the West Coast."

"West Coast? Of…," then it dawned on me. "Oh, we're in America?" The four of them looked at me like I was crazy. "What? I didn't know. This is a rather multi-cultural school and I didn't exactly get the welcome brochure." After a moment, I looked back at the book. "So, by the looks I'm gettin', I assume we're near the East Coast, so I suppose this isn't as relevant as I'd hoped."

"New Hampshire," Beckett said softly before turning to take his seat. I nodded my appreciation and continued to scan the encyclopaedia.

Zeph opened a new book, making his stack just low enough for me to see over. There were a lot of bright colours and pictures, one of which was some sort of rainbow connecting two people. "Zeph, that doesn't look like research."

"Oh! Sorry, I got distracted…," he quickly closed that book and rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

I was about to go back to my skimming when Shreya called me over. "Percy, come take a look at this."

"Did you find somethin' on the creature?" I asked, standing up to see what she was looking at.

"Better! I thought I'd see if the spellwork section had anything in it and I found this Moon spell!" she pointed to the page. "It could help with our investigation."

I furrowed my brows. "Shreya, that's pretty high-level magic. Do you really think I could do that?"

She waved me off. "Nonsense. Aren't you a Sun-Att? You should have more than enough potential to pull it off! Besides, it's way too useful to pass up."

"I guess we could give it a try. What does it do?" I followed her gaze to the old browned pages.

"Moon magic deals with emotions and manipulating them," she explained. "This spell makes a person more open, so they'll be more willing to tell you secrets," she said, in a more hushed tone.

"So, like a truth spell?" I asked.

She teetered her hand. "Not quite. They won't tell you anything they wouldn't normally, but they _will_ be more talkative about what they're really thinking."

"If we could figure out who to ask, this could help us get more information," I said, looking between her and the page.

She nodded. "Exactly, and since I'm feeling generous, I'll even let you practice using it on me. Honestly, if I have to read another dry tome, I might just die," she looked up at me, pleading in an almost demanding way.

"Yeah, let's give it a go," I agreed.

She stood up and looped her arm with mine. "We'll be back, boys." She pulled me down to the far side of the library near the staircase Beckett and I had taken to get to the gallery. "Come on then, try it on me. The book says you first have to clear your mind of all emotion."

I let out an unintentional laugh. "Why does every spell require me to clear my mind? I really need to meditate more or somethin'."

She smacked her lips then took my hand. "Clear your mind, then put your hand on the person's shoulder," she placed my hand on her shoulder, "and stare deeply into their eyes."

I closed my eyes, trying to void out all of the shock, anxiety, and everything else that could negatively affect the spell. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. When I opened my eyes, I let my fingers grip her shoulder gently and stared into her eyes. She batted her eyelashes daintily.

"Shreya, stop it," I laughed. "I can't concentrate if you're goofing off."

"What? Am I distracting you?" she beamed.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts again. I stared into her eyes. The tips of my fingers felt warm on her shoulder. After a moment, her smile faltered. "Well? Do you feel any different?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said slowly. "I feel like… Percy!" she looked down at my feet. "Are you really wearing _those_ shoes? What were you thinking? They don't go with your outfit at all!"

I looked down at my daps, thinking they looked alright. "I mean…"

"You look so precious when you're embarrassed. I really should tease you more often, just to see that face. It's priceless," she smirked up at me. "But your accent is annoying. British English is hard to follow."

"Well, it works," I took my hand back, "but I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."

She shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm having fun. Ask me something!"

I said the first question that came to mind. "What's the most embarrassin' thing you've ever done?"

Without missing a beat, she answered, "When I was a kid, I dressed up like a dragon for Halloween."

"That's embarrassin'?" I asked, thinking it would actually be pretty cute.

"I loved the costume so much that I refused to take it off," she continued.

"That doesn't sound so bad. We all had outfits like that," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't take it off for weeks," she added.

"Oh," I chuckled.

"I got so caked in dirt that the zipper got stuck and my parents had to cut me out of it," she told me. "Quick, ask me something else!" she bounced with excitement.

"Er… Can I cut up one of your dresses?" I sneered. "I was thinkin' about makin' some new Thief flags. The sparkles will really distract the other players."

Her expression hardened. "No. Way. In. Hell," she said in a low, threatening voice.

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel?" I laughed, knowing that would be her response whether she was under my influence or not.

"There isn't a spell on Earth that could convince me to part with one of my dresses," she hissed. "Besides, it already wore off, genius. You're lucky it did. If you'd actually taken my dress, they'd never find your body."

I snorted. "You're ridiculous, Shreya."

She shrugged and put her hand on her hip. "I'd argue that I know how to have a good time. After all, I did make this Moon spell more entertaining for you. Oh, and Percy, just so you know… if you tell anyone about this, I will personally fill your room with Sleethers," she grinned.

"I don't know what those are, but I'm not really in the mood to find out," I zipped my lips shut with an imaginary zipper and threw the key behind me, making a clinking noise with my mouth. She giggled and the two of us returned to the table with the others.  
On our way back over, we heard raised voices. We looked at each other and hurried over to investigate the commotion. Griffin and Beckett were stood there arguing with one another across the table.

"it's the best way for us to-," Beckett started.

"It's not an option!" Griffin shouted back.

I stood beside them and held out my hands to stop them from leaning any closer to each other. "Guys, we're in a library. What's goin' on?"

"He's suggesting a ridiculous-," Griffin held is hand out to gesture to his rival.

"What I'm suggesting would make finding what we're looking for a lot easier!" he retorted.

"Woah, one at a time. Beckett, what are you talkin' about?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and straightened his blazer, which I noticed he did a lot when he was nervous. "I know a spell that summons what a person needs, if they concentrate hard enough, including a book with the information you're looking for."

"It's too risky! If something goes wrong, it could-," Griffin objected.

"I am fully capable," Beckett glared back at him. "The spell just involves placing my hand on the forehead of the person I'm casting on. It is _not_ a big deal."

I looked between them, a silence lingering as the tension grew. "What are the risks?" I asked. "It's important to know what we're gettin' into."

Beckett huffed and crossed his arms. "When channelled wrong, the spell can leave the individual confused, sometimes for days," he explained calmly, but that disappeared faster than Griffin could retort. "But I'm a _rather_ skilled caster. You'll be fine."

I let my arms fall to my sides as I pondered his offer. _It's not a permanent side-effect, but if somethin' happens, it could be massively inconvenient._ "It _would_ be faster than searchin' by hand," I muttered aloud, looking down at the tables filled with towers of books. Griffin was about to protest again, but backed off and nodded. "Alright, I think it's worth the risk."

Within seconds, Beckett's hands were on either side of my head, his thumbs touching in the middle of my forehead. "Just think about these shadow monsters you encountered." I closed my eyes and thought about the first attack, the small shadow wisp, and the second, the larger and slightly more terrifying shadow creature. My vision went from black to white and flashes of the dorm and the hallway and a classroom went by so quickly that it made me dizzy. I had an instant headache.

I clutched at the sides of my head with a bit louder of a gasp then I'd intended. Griffin took a step towards me, but I held out my hand. "I'm fine." I rubbed at my temples and had to blink several times to get my vision straight again. "That was just… a lot…" I took a few steps around Beckett and sat down in the empty chair beside him, still holding my head.

"That should have…," Beckett started, looking around the room. Not one book had changed its flight pattern. Suddenly, a loud thud echoed around the large room. We all looked at each other, then around the room. We followed the sound until the banging was louder than the throbbing in my head. There was a bookcase against the wall on the adjacent wall to the snake statue.

"Is the sound comin' from… behind it?" I asked, feeling the vibrations along the shelf I was leaning against.

"Does anyone else feel that air current?" Beckett asked, moving his hands around the sides of the bookcase. "I think there might be and opening behind this."

Griffin and Zeph nodded to each other and pulled at the case until it revealed an opening in the wall. The secret room was dark and dusty, like it hadn't been touched in nearly one hundred years. I would have paid more attention to the décor, but a book flapped towards us, nearly hitting me in the face. I held it in my hand and looked over the cover.

"Who's making all that racket?" the librarian's voice echoed toward us.

"Percy! Hurry! I don't think we're supposed to be here," Shreya spun around anxiously.

I flipped open the leather-bound book and started scanning, but the book flipped its own pages until I was where I needed to be. I began to read.

_There have been no recorded instances of a Blood-Att successfully taking a human soul. For more information, see the diagram on page 394. _

I turned the pages swiftly, trying not to think about a Harry Potter joke, but when I reached 392, the pages after it were all missing. I looked at the binding, seeing the remanence of the torn paper. "Where's the rest of it?" I asked the book.

"Percy! Time's up. Librarian's coming!" Griffin urged me to come back out. I let the book go and it flapped back to its shelf. When I ducked out, Zeph and Griffin shifted the bookcase back into place. Just in time, too. Mr. Korningshwip turned the corner just as their hands left the wood. We darted the other direction, making it down the other aisle before he could see us. Somehow, we made it back to the main section of the library before getting busted.

"That book opened to a page on Blood magic. Aster said she heard the word 'blood' when the trees spoke to her!" I whispered urgently at Shreya. "We must be on the right track."

"Maybe someone's using Blood magic to send those monsters after you," Griffin suggested solemnly.

"But… why would someone go through all that effort, though?" Zeph asked. "Blood magic is notoriously difficult to do."

"Not to mention illegal!" Shreya added. "Whoever they are, they must really want to get you, Percy."

"I am so confused," I shook my head, the headache still pounding in my temples. "I wish I knew what was on those missin' pages," I rubbed my head again as I leaned against the table. "Obviously, someone thought they were worth keepin'… or worth hidin' from the rest of the world."

"I bet they had a Blood magic spell on them!" Zeph whispered. "Or sketches of a dark ritual! Or some kind of terrible curse!"

"Should we sneak back inside once the librarian is gone?" Shreya asked, nearly reading my mind. "See if we can learn anything else?"

I sighed. "I don't know. The pages I needed were ripped out, so unless there's another book…"

"Maybe they're somewhere inside?" Zeph suggested.

Beckett shook his head. "Doubtful. If there was anything more useful to us than that book, my spell would have summoned _it_ instead."

"Which means," Griffin started, "we should probably call it a night. I don't think the library will have any more answers for us."

Shreya groaned and leaned against the other table. "I feel like we barely learnt anything… Too bad someone ripped out those pages. Then at least we'd have a lead."

Beckett grinned. "I'd say it was a fairly successful night, actually. Now we know what type of magic to associate with these creatures."

"And we discovered another cool Penderghast secret," Zeph agreed.

I sighed. "You're right. We're one step closer to figurin' this out, even if it is a smaller step than I'd hoped for."

We all packed up shortly after that and went our separate ways for the night. When Shreya and I got back to our room, I jumped into the shower immediately. It was easier for me to think in there than in my room. When I was done, I wrapped my towel around my waist and leaned against the sink, trying to clear my mind so I could rest. _I'm so tired. I thought life couldn't get any crazier after magic, but no… monsters are tryin' to kill me… Brilliant…_ I heaved a sigh and looked up at the steam covered mirror. Through the haze, I noticed my hair was off again. "You've got to be kiddin' me…" I didn't dare wipe at the reflection. I was too scared. I took a few steps back. I rubbed at my eyes, thinking I was hallucinating again, but he was still there in his black leather jacket when I looked back up. I was frozen. I didn't think he could reach me this time, but what if he stepped through? What if I was about to be attacked again? His finger met his side of the mirror and traced its way through the steam, writing the word 'blood' backwards so I could read it. _Jesus…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Night Magic

The night my reflection scared the shit out of me in the bathroom seemed to disappear from time, though it didn't leave my mind for a second. Three weeks of nightmares, scouring for information, and looking over my shoulder every minute dragged us by our ankles. We were on edge for the entirety of it, but nothing happened. Not a single thing. No reflection, no moving shadows, nothing.

On the other hand, I managed to pass Spellwork 1A and move onto Spellwork 1B, and I was finally able to start my Sun-Att training with Professor Swan. She'd told me to keep my head down, but I'd been searching for three weeks. I hoped that she'd found something that I hadn't. It took quite a toll on my mental health, being anxious all the time. I just wanted all of it to be over.

That Monday morning, I hiked up passed the main building, venturing farther up the large hilly campus than I'd ever gone. "I should have slept in those extra five minutes," I huffed to myself, out of breath from the number of stairs I'd have to take every day for the next three semesters. "Why am I so zonked today?"

Footsteps echoed behind me. I turned around and leaned against the metal railing of the stairs. Professor Swan was skipping up the stairs, two at a time, and waving at me with an exaggerated motion. "Sorry, Perseus! You know how it is. One minute you're watching the clock, the next a swarm of bubble-bugs has floated through your window!"

I shrugged. "Yeah, right. That happens all the time."

I followed her a bit farther up until we reached what looked like a round mausoleum. It was a short marble building with figures carved into the walls; centaurs, satyrs, minotaurs, and sirens battled under a brightly shining sun, inlayed with pure gold. Swan did a complex hand gesture and presented it to a golden door, making it open silently inward.

"After you, Perseus," she gestured for me to entre first. "This room is all yours, after all."

The inside of the room was even crazier. The marble floor had gold veins that all met in the centre of the room like a spiderweb. In the middle stood a stone pedestal with leaf-like decorations under the main slab. Upon the pedestal sat a clear crystal that shimmered in the sunlight shining in from the open roof, making the walls and columns glitter with star-like light. The dome above us rounded up to a circle in the centre, the hole for the light, and had sun and moon emblems spaced every two metres from each other. It was overwhelmingly beautiful, but bright… properly.

"The smell of the morning sun is so invigorating, don't you think?" Swan took a deep breath and stood in the direct sunlight for a moment.

"I'd be more invigorated by the smell of coffee," I half-joked. I was knackered and hadn't managed to get much sleep in the past few weeks.

"I'm more of a tea person, myself," she shrugged and let her bag fall off of her shoulder into her hand. "Now, I have a question before we begin. I'd appreciate your honesty," she stared straight at me. I had a feeling I knew what she was about to ask me. "With regards to these mysterious creatures that have been attacking you, have you stayed out of trouble and kept your head down?"

I sighed. "Honestly? Not at all," I admitted, figuring I'd get more done if I wasn't lying to her.

Her eyebrows shot up and her bag fell to the floor. "Perseus, what's happened? Are you okay? Have you sustained any injuries?"

I held my hands out in a surrender. "I'm fine! I haven't gone lookin' for any monsters or anythin'. I've just been lookin' for information on them in the library. I can't just sit on my hands and do nothin' when I _know_ someone or _somethin'_ is out there wantin' me dead."

She let out a sigh of relief. "I appreciate your honesty, Perseus, though, I worry that you're going to draw unnecessary attention to the subject of your research," she put a hand on her hip and the other on her forehead, taking a moment to process the information. "We'll continue this conversation later. No use dwelling on gloomy thoughts when we're surrounded by so much sun," she looked up, relaxing as she breathed in the morning. When she looked back at me, her face was much stricter than her normal expression. "You and I are here today because each Attuned's Attunement lends them special abilities. Being a Sun-Att predisposes you towards prescience," she beamed excitedly. "Which means that you innately have a certain degree of foresight about what's to come."

I laughed. "Wait. I can tell the future?!"

She squinted at me. "Um, no. Not exactly. Prescience is more of having a _feeling_ that something is going to happen. A gut feeling, if you will."

With a smile still on my face, I corrected myself. "So, you're sayin' I can gut-feel the future?"

She shrugged, almost laughing. "It's a muddy science, but it's fascinating. The degree of prescience attainable by each Sun-Att depends on your latent potential, of course."

I smirked. "Well, good news. Accordin' to Professor Kontos, I've got an ale tankard's worth of magical potential," I remembered my Attunement test.

She excitedly clapped her hands. "Wonderful! I've never trained a Sun-Att before. I can't wait to see how powerful you are, and prescience is the perfect place to start." She took a few breaths to calm herself, then gestured for me to sit on the floor with her while she explained. "Think of the sun as a marker of time passing. The day progresses as the sun moves through the sky, so tapping into your Sun abilities will give you a feeling for the future. With practice, patience, and power, of course, you may be able to get so much more than _just_ a gut feeling."

"You're sayin' I could get visions?" I asked, thinking back to the times I'd seen something I'd never seen before in a dream or getting flashes of places before going there.

"I have no way of predicting how your prescience will manifest," she said. "In my case, I usually get very cold feet, an itch in my nose, and weird bright spots in my vision that form images if I squint at them."

"That… sounds like it's really confusin' to experience…," I cocked my head at her, trying to wrap my mind around the concept. "How are you supposed to figure out what you're foretellin' with so much goin' on?"

"Did you expect magic to be easy, Perseus?" she eyed me curiously. "Like I said, prescience is a muddy science. It does what it wants, and we have to figure it out."

I shrugged. "Well, I guess weird prescience is better than no prescience. How do we start?"

She crossed her legs in front of her, kicking off the thick black heels she'd been wearing. "The first step in developing your prescience is strengthening your connection with the sun. I find meditation to be quite helpful," she placed the backs of her wrists on her knees and straightened her posture. "Just close your eyes and feel the sun's warmth sink into you, then work on merging your energy with it." She gestured for me to try it.

"Is there a specific position I should be in for this?" I asked, mimicking her posture.

"Just sit however you're comfortable," she said, watching me intensely.

I repositioned myself to sit more comfortably, my legs loosely crossed, and my hands draped in my lap, fingers intertwined. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The sunlight made my eyelids look red and orange. I tried to focus on the sound of the birds chirping and the breeze blowing in through the hole in the ceiling. One by one, I pushed those distractions out of my mind. I could feel my chest warming in the sunlight. I felt energised.

"Perseus! Look out! It's storming!" I could hear her voice, but then a strong gust of wind hit me in the face, making me lose all focus. I kept my eyes closed, knowing she was testing me, and tried to re-centre myself. I took another deep breath through my nose, feeling the cool breeze and smelling the morning dew. I felt warmer than I had before. "Impressive… very impressive," I heard her say, but it seemed distant, like I was far away.

After another breath, I felt like I was floating. I couldn't feel the ground or her presence or my own hair brushing over my eyebrow as it usually did. I'd never felt that relaxed in my life. Suddenly, a bright light flashed behind my eyelids. I couldn't tell if it was coming from the room or my own brain. I opened my mind, letting the light mix with my own energy. The glow only got brighter until all I could see was white. I could feel my fingers tingling.

"Oh my!" Swan's voice struck me like a gong and my eyes slammed open. All I could see was white still.

"What's goin' on?" I asked, looking around, barely able to see her outline. I looked down at myself, trying to find my hands. After a moment, my eyes adjusted. "Bloody- I'm glowin'!" My hands were radiating with light, as if I were a brand-new light bulb. As soon as I lost focus, the glow faded, and the room became visible again. Panic suddenly appeared in the back of my mind. I was flooded with anxiety, but as quickly as it set on, it disappeared, leaving me as relaxed as I was before. "Was that supposed to happen?" I asked, looking up at her shocked face.

She nodded slowly. "I never expected… not on your first try…," she stared at me like I was an alien. After a moment, she composed herself, grinning widely. "Perseus, you just connected profoundly with the power of the Sun! This is beyond anything I imagined!"

"I felt so warm and relaxed. I think I like this prescience thing," I stared down at my hands again, balling them into fists and releasing slowly, almost hoping something would happen.

Swan had me practice for a bit longer, challenging me to hold it longer as she did everything in her power to distract me. It worked a few times, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. She looked down at her watch. "Thank you, Perseus, that's enough. We can finish up for today."

I jumped to my feet a little too quickly, feeling a bit lightheaded. I stretched my arms and reached for my toes. "Who knew sittin' for an hour in the same position would make me stiff?" I joked.

Swan giggled. "I sense much potential in you, but remember, anybody who gets anywhere in life puts in that extra bit of work."

"That sounds like homework. You're givin' me homework, aren't you?" I asked when I stood up straight, stretching my back.

"Think of it as independent study, and think of how future Perseus, who has full mastery of his prescience, will thank you," she grinned. "I'd like for you to meditate regularly. Begin by trying to foretell simple things, like what you're going to eat for an upcoming meal." I immediately thought of "simple things" that might not be so simple. I thought of trying to predict when my reflection would show itself again, or when the next shadow might show up. Swan cocked her head at my silence. "Perseus? Is there more you haven't told me? You don't have to face things alone."

I stared into her eyes and my gut told me I could trust her. "Professor… There's more goin' on than just the shadow creatures," I said. The only thing she really didn't know about was the reflection. I told her about the number of times I'd seen him and how he looks so similar to me that it was honestly a bit creepy.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh my. Oh- oh my! I need to-," she packed her notes back into her bag hastily and slung it over her shoulder. "Oh my goodness- oh dear!" She rushed out of the room without another word, leaving me alone and rather confused.

"See you later, I guess?" I threw my arms up in defeat. I walked around the room a bit, wondering why she would have panicked that much without telling me anything. Eventually, I sat down and decided to try and foresee something relevant. I felt the sunlight on my back and head as I closed my eyes and tried to relax. It was just like the times before, but one thing was different. I almost felt the urge to vomit. Something hit me like a fist to the gut and sent me into a blinding white vortex. I tried to balance myself as I seemed to spiral down into the twister of light, but I couldn't move. I was completely paralysed. Three images flashed rather quickly in front of my eyes. The main courtyard of campus, the foyer of the main building, and the Hall of Mirrors. As quickly as I'd seen it, it all disappeared and my conscience was thrown back into my body, making me feel a bit sick. _I saw somethin'! But… what the hell does it mean?!_ I rubbed my hands down my face right as a loud chime echoed through the room. _Lunch. Thank god._ I was starving. _Grub first. Makin' sense of visions later. Priorities, Percy!_ I struggled to my feet, grabbed my bag, then headed down the abundance of stairs to the main building.

Over the next few days, I tried to make sense of what I'd seen and tried to see anything else that could link the pieces together, but all I managed to see were the same three flashes. After Thief practice a few days after I'd first seen the visions, my Spellwork 1B class was meeting out in the woods for some hands-on study. Beckett and I were paired up again, not that I minded, but he seemed awkward every time we worked together.

"Hey," I said, leaning close to him as we investigated the trees we'd been assigned. "Have you found anythin' else out in the library recently?"

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Percy, we've scoured every book, some twice, some _thrice_. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the library might not help us."

Professor Englund made his rounds then addressed he class as a whole, standing next to the thickest tree in the area. "I'm sure you're all wondering what we're doing out in the woods. Today's lesson involves using Wood magic to create resin. Can anyone tell me some qualities of resin in magic?"

Without raising his hand, or learning his lesson from the last several times he'd been scolded for it, Beckett answered, "Resin not only has healing and protective qualities, but can be manipulated by almost every element, so it's extremely versatile."

Englund touched his fingertips to his forehead, but apparently didn't feel like scolding Beckett for the umpteenth time. "Correct, and because wood magic is fairly tricky, today's lesson is also a companion magic lesson. You'll be melding your magic with another's. One of you will channel the Wood component of this spell, while the other channels Water." He touched his index and middle fingers together at chest level. "When performed alone, this stance can help meld Wood, the element of natural life, with Water, that which nurtures natural life. You must first sense the sap in the tree, then channel you magic into it. Use Water to thicken the sap under the bark, and Wood to channel it to the surface. Then say 'Rethina'," as he said it, he pulled his hands apart slowly, revealing a viscous rope of amber. He rolled one of his hands then pushed it outwards toward us, turning the resin into a shield in a swift movement. "Medicinal to decorative, defensive to offensive, resin is an extremely valuable substance to have magical mastery over. Now, get to work with your partners."

"Oh… Okay…," Beckett frowned when I looked over at him.

"We were partnered up yesterday. Do you not want to work with me or somethin'?" I asked, put off by his behaviour of late. He'd been acting strange for almost two weeks.

He looked away. "It isn't that. It's just… I have a fair bit of difficulty with Wood, as it is Metal's counterpart. Please don't laugh."

I pursed my lips at him. "_That's _what you're on about? Sorry to break it to you, Mr. Posh, but nobody's perfect, not even you. I'm not goin' to laugh at you for suckin' at Wood magic. Besides, I'm a Wood-Att, too. This'll be a breeze for us."

He flapped his hand at me, looking around urgently. "Percy, please! Keep it down! I have a reputation to uphold!" he whispered angrily.

I chortled. "Now _that_ I will laugh at. Don't get your trousers in a wad. It's nothin' to be embarrassed about. You're supposed to have trouble with the element opposite yours. That's kind of the whole point. Stop bein' embarrassed about bein' normal."

"But I'm not _meant_ to be normal, Percy," he glared at me, crossing his arms and mumbling to himself. "I'm meant to be extraordinary."

I laughed again. "Can we just get to the task at hand? You're goin' to get us in trouble."

"You're the one that's being loud!" he whispered.

"Because you're makin' me laugh. Come on, mate, focus," I chuckled, pulling him by his sleeve over to the tree we'd been staring at for the last fifteen minutes.

"Less chatting in that corner, Percy, Beckett!" Englund's voice travelled over the other students to us.

I elbowed him in the ribs. "I told you."

"Focus on finding each other's magical energy," Englund addressed the class again.

I held my index and middle finger out to him. "Very well. Let us attempt this, at least," he straightened his blazer and touched his fingers to mine. I could feel his magic run through me. It tasted like… you know when you're eating your Wheaties with an old spoon and you can taste the steel? Like that. It was a bit weird. I looked up from our hands to his face, which was scrunched up in concentration. I tried not to laugh. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. "Your energy is so… warm!" he blurted out.

"Yeah, yeah, and yours is metallic. Are we doin' this or what?" I teased. He nodded and we turned to face the tree, fingers still touching. After a moment of focusing, I could feel the movement of the tree, the sap running through it, and the life pulsing out of its bark.

"It's like I can feel the tree's life force, as though the sap is blood flowing through it's veins," Beckett raved excitedly. "Can you feel that, Percy?"

I nodded. "We're definitely on the right track. Next is makin' the actual resin."

I could feel what his magic was doing as it mixed with the sap, thickening it. I focused on its location and finding a way to make it rise to the surface.

"Looking good, you two," Englund was right behind us, watching our progress. When I found a good way to channel it out, I moved the sap through the bark, creating an amber bubble, swirling with a sheen between our fingers as they slowly separated. "Wonderful work! One more step left."

I took a quick breath and both of us spoke the incantation at the same time. "Rethina." The ball of swirling sap crystalized and fell to the ground with a soft thump.

"Fantastic work, you two," Englund praised. "You're the first to have succeeded."

I turned to Beckett and held my hand up for a celebratory high-five. "I can't believe how easy that was. Our energies are totally compatible." Beckett looked up at my hand then back at me, begging me to not make him do it. "Oh, come on, Beckett. Pull that stick out of your arse and give me a high-five. It won't kill you."

His nose scrunched as his slowly pressed his palm to mine. I took advantage of his awkwardness and did a full bro handshake, holding his wrist with my other hand so he couldn't pull away. He rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Companion magic sure is something. That must be the quickest I've ever learnt a spell."

"We're just that good-," I started to say, but then my vision went hazy and the world began to shake. I fell backwards onto the grass, landing on my rear with my hand to my head.

"Percy! What just happened?" he knelt down in front of me.

I shook my head when my sight returned, confirming that it wasn't just a moment of clarity. "Nothin'. I'm fine," I held up my hand to tell him to stop worrying.

"It must have been a rebound from casting such an advanced spell. I used to suffer dizzy spells when I was still a novice," he took my hand and pulled me up. "Don't worry. The more you practice, the less you'll be affected by performing high-level magic."

"Or it has somethin' to do with the fact that I've been castin' all afternoon and haven't eaten since breakfast," I said, my hand still to my head. I was sure that was it, but the back of my mind kept thinking it was something else. I was too on edge.

After class, I went back to my room to study. Orien helped me practice the resin spell, which seemed just as easy the second time, but I didn't get dizzy at all… well, not until the third time. I got so dizzy that I'd lost concentration and the resin turned to water and splashed on the floor. I fell back on the bed with a groan. "If magic exists, why can't we prevent headaches?" I asked my little pal. He cocked his head at me and licked my hand.

"Clear out your schedule tonight, Percy!" Shreya slammed my door open, making both me and Orien jump clear to the other side of the bed. "We've got a date with the deep dark forest, and we _cannot_ miss it."

I stared at her outfit. It was fancy for even her. "Come again?" I asked. "Only calmer this time."

She grinned, her eyes sparkling like they did when she was up to something. "I was in Penn Square and I ran into Griffin, who told me about the rave in the woods tonight to celebrate the December solstice!" she said in one breath. "It's super exclusive, as in underclassmen aren't invited. _But_, if we can find the rave on our own, we can get in like he did last year!"

"Er, you want to trample through the forest in the middle of the night for a rave we might not even find?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What's with that glass-half-empty outlook?" she pursed her lips. "Zeph's already on board, and I waylaid Smartypants outside the library and got him to promise to come along, too."

I laughed, thinking of Beckett being _properly _misplaced at a party. "In that case, we'll find it for sure, and a party sounds fun after all this studyin'." My stomach let out a loud growl. "There'll be food, right?" She nodded with a giggle. "Then count me in!"

She let out a delighted squeal and tossed the shopping bag she'd been carrying at me. "Inspired as I was, I made a pitstop at Maison D'Yew and found you the perfect look for tonight!" The shirt I pulled out of the bag was made of a fabric that seemed to shine like the night sky itself. "You'll be the talk of the entire school in this, which is only natural when hanging out with me. I wouldn't be caught dead with you wearing that," she pointed to my current attire. I'd put on comfy jeans and an old long-sleeve to study, thinking I wasn't going out again that night.

"Fine, whatever, I'll change," I chuckled, setting the shirt on the bed and standing up to change. "Turn around, maybe?" I joked when I saw her staring at me giddily.

"Right! Sorry. I'm just excited," she turned and covered her eyes with her hands. I pulled my shirt off and slipped the short-sleeved button up over my head. My jeans looked even worse with the new shirt, so I dug around in my closet for a nice pair of black jeans I used to wear on nice occasions back in Bristol. When I looked myself over, I nodded to myself. The sparkly fabric really seemed to work for me. Shreya peeked around and whistled. "Oh, my eyes are feeling so blessed right now," she clapped her hands together then grabbed my arm and pulled me along behind her.

I looked back at Orien, who looked rather confused on my bed. "Looks like you're mannin' the fort tonight, mate. See you later," I waved a quick goodbye before closing my door.

Nearly an hour later, Shreya, Zeph, Beckett, and I were wondering aimlessly though the woods. We had no idea where we were, and we'd been looking for over thirty minutes.

"I'd like it to be known that I will not tramp around all night long when I could be studying," Beckett huffed, his arms crossed.

"Beckett, I hate to be the judgemental one, but like… what did you _do_ as a kid?" Zeph stared in disbelief at him.

"Wait, Beck, don't you like bugs and plants and stuff? You could study that," I suggested, just trying to get him to stop whining for a few minutes, if not the rest of the night.

"Do _not_ call me that," he retorted, looking angrier than before.

Shreya held up her hand. "Motley Crew, shush! We won't be able to hear the party over your bickering!"

"I have an idea," I said, sitting on the grass. "I've been practicin' my prescience, and I think I can get a feel for where this party is." I concentrated on my breath, pushing the group's agitation out of my head. I felt my stomach churn a bit and got a flash of a brightly lit clearing. I tried to stand up, but I fell over almost immediately.

"Perc, you okay?" Zeph knelt down next to me and helped me up.

I groaned. "Yeah. Party's this way," I pointed between a few trees just off the path. Beckett and Shreya took off in the direction I'd given and Zeph held my arm as we followed after them. _I don't feel well…_

After a bit more walking, we found the party. The forest clearing was covered in floating multi-coloured lights. Music drifted through the air, the bass making my heart thump to the beat. Several students were laughing and chatting in groups scattered all around us.

"Hey, guys! I knew you'd make it!" Griffin waved to us from his perch on a stone wall a small distance away. He jumped down and jogged over to us. "Just in time to get in on the moon gate magic!" He led us over to a group of students gathered around a stone arch built into the wall.

"Wild guess, that's the moon gate? What does it do?" I asked, having to talk louder than usual over the music.

"Each year on the winter solstice, if you have enough magical energy gathered around, it'll take you back to your past!" one of the students explained. "The catch is you don't know when you'll be taken back to, and it won't affect your present, but it's fun to relive things differently."

"Legitimate moon gates are extremely rare," Beckett stared at it in awe. "They only work if they're build by the fae. A man-made moon gate is nothing more than a decoration."

We all looked it over as magical energy swirled in the circle. A student appeared from nowhere, looking incredibly excited. "Any of you want to give it a go?" the kid that explained it to us asked.

"I do!" I shouted and ran over to the circle. I stared at the swirling magic until it sucked me in. "Woah!" The party disappeared around me. I couldn't hear the music or anything. When I looked around, I was suddenly underwater. _Not again!_ Luckily, this time I was forced out of the water by an unknown force. I landed on the grass by the lake in the centre of campus. "Here again? It's my first day at Penderghast!" I beamed, looking around at anything I may have missed the first time through. Griffin wasn't anywhere to be seen. I spun around, suddenly struck by a thought. I stared at the water, but the reflection was mine. I was wearing my plaid shirt from my first day.

"Are you having some sort of episode? Should I call the nurse?" a familiar voice asked.

I turned back around swiftly. "Beckett!" I beamed, loving the utter confusion on his face. "Wow, this is already different from last time."

He took a step back, his shock growing. "Who are you? How do you know me? Intruders shouldn't be able to break through the wards, but perhaps the lake is a weak spot," he began talking to himself. "I'll have you know I'm a highly proficient Metal-Att," he held his hands up in a defensive stance, sparks crackling at his fingertips.

I busted out laughing and nearly fell over. "I'm not an intruder! I know you because… er… because of your astoundin' academic reputation!" I lied.

He lowered his hands and smirked pridefully. "Ah yes, that makes perfect sense. I suppose someone like you _would_ know about someone as intelligent as me," he gloated. "Though, I'm not sure how you managed to end up so far off course. I don't think anyone's ever come through the lake before."

I snorted. "You're just as much of a prat as you were last time."

He huffed. "Excuse me? Who are you calling-," he narrowed his eyes at me. "Wait, last time? Where did you say you came from? You're from West Country, by your atrocious use of the English language. I've never met anyone my age from that area."

"I didn't," I grinned, loving how easy it was to screw with him, "but I am from Brizzle."

He gasped. "Wait! I've heard about this kind of behaviour! You're a moon gate traveller! Quick! Tell me what scores I've received on my exams. I want to know what weaknesses I need to correct-"

I held up a hand. "Shove it, Hermione. I don't have long, and I want to look arou-," but before I could finish, I was dragged back to the party. The bass pounded in my ears. I walked back over to my friends, grinning from ear to ear.

"So? Where did you go? What happened?" Shreya asked eagerly.

"Was I there?" Zeph inquired.

I laughed, barely able to get my words out. "You weren't, but Beckett was, and I can confirm that he is a complete keener in every possible reality."

"What? If you went back in time and sabotaged my school grades, I swear I'll-," he started, but I put my hand on his shoulder, looking him dead in the eyes.

"You're just provin' my point, mate. What happens in the moon gate doesn't affect the present, remember?" I said. He tried to object, but I rolled my eyes. "And by the way, 'atrocious use of the English language?' I'll have you know that Bristolian was voted the fifth most sexy accent in the UK."

"Wha- I… I don't know what you're talking about," he sputtered like I'd just unearthed an embarrassing secret. _Yeah, he's definitely thought that before._

I rolled my eyes, trying not to show my amusement. "Is that what you really think of me?" When he began to fidget, I smirked and turned to Griffin. "Mate, that moon gate was incredible! I never thought I could relive my past. Trekkin' through the forest was worth it just for that."

"That's only a fraction of what's going on tonight," he beamed. "Enjoy the party. I recommend getting in one of the light shows. You can do lots of cool magic with the solstice's energy powering you up."

I sighed. "This might be a good time to mention that I'm not feelin' so hot. I can barely cast anythin' without feelin' zonked."

"Maybe you've just been practicing too much," Griffin suggested.

Beckett scoffed. "It's the solstice, _obviously_. You're a Sun-Att," he crossed his arms, still a tinge of pink brushing his ears. When the rest of us didn't seem to follow, he rolled his eyes. "I have to explain everything to you people… The days have been getting shorter. Tonight is the longest _night_ of the year, one of heightened magical energy."

"Get to the point," I tried to hurry him along.

"_You_ must deal with the drain of the night upon your _Sun_ powers," he said. "Basically, it sucks to be you tonight."

Zeph snorted. "Dang, so everyone gets a power-up except Percy? That's rough, man."

"Aw, c'mon. You don't need magic to have fun at a party," Shreya threw her arm around my waist. "Think of all the parties you went to before you even knew you were Attuned!"

"No magic at a solstice rave? What are you, Tuneless?" a girl snickered behind me.

"It's not that big of a deal, is it?" her friend said. "Tonight's about celebrating the natural energy all around us. Just feeling it is enough."

The first girl snorted. "A solstice rave is about contributing to the magic, not just standing around and leeching off of everybody else's."

"How about you back off?" Shreya hissed. "Nobody asked you for your opinion!"

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Shreya, it's fine," I whispered to her. "I brought this," I held up a small crystal vial I'd shoved into my pocket before we'd left the dorm. It was the salvaged remains of the "close to perfect" potion I'd made a few weeks prior.

"Yawn. What am I supposed to be looking at, exactly?" the first girl rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip.

"Only the best daydream potion Kontos has ever graded," I swirled the golden liquid around in the vial. "I may have saved a bit," I grinned over my shoulder at Zeph.

"Ooh, Perc, you're _bad_," he grinned.

"You _stole_? From _class_?" Beckett looked outraged.

Shreya smirked. "Is it stealing if he made it himself? Experts say no, and by experts, I mean me."

The girl raised her eyebrow. "Daydream potion, huh? And what's to prove that's the real thing? First years are notorious for botching their first batch of daydream potions."

I smirked slyly. "One way to find out. Feelin' brave?"

"I'm a bit concerned about how the magical amplification of the solstice may interfere with the potion's effects," Beckett blurted out nervously behind me.

"Interfere… or _enhance_?" Zeph threw his arm around me. "Pass it around, Perc. I can't wait to see what kind of magic I can do with some daydream potion helping!"

Everyone, except the stick-in-the-mud, took a sip. I downed what was left. It tasted like apple cider with a pinch of cinnamon. The world became blurry as my fingers tingled with magic. "Okay, I'm feelin' that amplification thing you were talkin' about," I mumbled. "I think I could do all the magic in the world!" I threw my arms out and spun around a few times. Bubbles flew out of my arms, some reaching record breaking sizes. "_So_ many bubbles!" I laughed.

"They're filled with _glitter_!" Shreya squeaked, popping one above her head. Silver glitter fell onto her hair, making her shine in the lights overhead.

"Ouch! One got into my eye!" Beckett hollered.

The bubbles blew over the rest of the party, making the other students cheer as they popped them and made glitter rain down over several groups. When the potion wore off, many of them stared at me, I guess expecting me to make more, but I was drained again.

"Okay, I'm convinced," the girl was beaming. "You've gotta be acing Potions if you can brew a daydream potion that strong."

I smirked. "I told you," I gloated. "I guess a sip doesn't last long, though," I looked down at my empty vial, bummed that I couldn't do more.

"Right. And we're back to square one," the girl rolled her eyes again. "Well, try not to get in anyone's way for the rest of the night." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and strutted away.

Her friend stayed behind. "Sorry about her. She can be a little intense about… well, everything."

"That's an understatement," I watched as the girl seemed to start another argument with a new group.

"I know a Sun spell that could help you out with your magic," the friend smiled kindly. "It lets you temporarily turbo charge your magical core and cast a solar flare. It's an upper division spell, but being a Sun-Att, I'm sure you could get the hang of it easily."

"Would such a power boost help in a battle against, say, a monster made of shadows and evil?" Beckett asked. "You know, hypothetically."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh, if you think that's an issue you're going to be dealing with, yeah, I'm sure it'd be useful with that."

Griff patted me on the back. "Hey, that sounds like just what you need, Percy. Meanwhile, that snack table sounds like a great idea for me."

"Ditto. Good luck with the magic boosting, Perc. Tell me about it later," Zeph ran off with Griffin to the snack table.

"While I would rarely pass up an opportunity to learn a spell, the flora in this neck of the woods is absolutely exquisite," Beckett whispered to me. "If you'll excuse me," he said, straightening his blazer and walking off purposefully towards a darker area with no-one in it.

I glanced over a Shreya. "Are you leavin', too?"

She beamed. "You _know_ I'm checking out the party. Catch up with me when you're done." With that, she skipped off into the fray.

"Let's do this," I rubbed my hands together when I turned back to the upperclassman.

She grinned. "Awesome! Alright, so you know how we're constantly unconsciously letting some of our magical energy out into the world?" I stared blankly at her, but nodded. _I do now…_ "Well, this spell pulls that energy back into you, making you more powerful."

"Sick. So, how do I manage that?" I asked.

"First, you need to focus on the energy you're losing," she instructed. "You need to be aware of it before you can keep it in. Try reaching for your magic like you're about to cast something, but don't." I nodded, closed my eyes, and tried to focus on my magic as I normally would, but it was incredibly difficult and taxing. While focusing on the thick, sinking feeling that was my current power, I noticed some outliers, like the outer dust ring of a planet. "Do you feel it?" she asked. "You just have to suck it back inside you. Imagine you're swimming and you need to take a really deep breath before you dive under."

I could feel my magic swirl around me like a whirlpool. I took a deep breath, pulling it in, and felt a huge energy surge. When I opened my eyes, a small flash of light faded around me. "Woah…"

"Yeah!" she cheered. "Just like that! You did it!"

"I feel super-charged!" I shook my head, trying to come to terms with the new rush.

"Now you can create a solar flare, if you wanna let your power back out," she said.

I could feel a spark between my fingers. I took a deep breath, focusing on that spark. When I opened my eyes again, a small golden bird flew out of my hand, soaring above our heads. A few of the partygoers saw it and cheered as it flew back down and landed on my shoulder before fizzling out.

"Wow… that was cool!" the girl stared at me, slack-jawed.

I let out a quick laugh. "You weren't kiddin'. That makes castin' way easier."

She smiled. "It was fun hanging with you, freshie, but now, if you don't mind, I see some potions with my name on them." I waved at her as she left, grateful that I wasn't feeling like death anymore.

With my renewed energy, I made my way around the party, spotting where everyone had gotten off to. I saw Griffin sitting on a log playing a sort of… _lute_? The closer I got, the more I realised it was closer to a guitar, but it had 12 strings. I was going to greet him, but when I opened my mouth, everything I said sounded like a hammer hitting a gong. The upperclassmen sitting around Griffin started laughing, but they also sounded like gongs. Griffin grinned and tuned a string, which apparently made the loud crashing sounds turn back into actual laughter.

"Sorry about that, but also not. That was hilarious!" he grinned up at me.

"Come sit down! We've got plenty of room," one of the upperclassmen patted the grass next to her. "Do you have any more of that daydream potion?"

I grinned and took a seat. "Alas, m'lady, I'm all out," I bowed my head. "I'll bring more next time." Griffin strummed the instrument some more, now sounding like an actual guitar. "I didn't know you played… whatever that is, Griff. Is music another one of your many hidden talents?"

He chuckled. "I've just dabbled here and there. I was one of those kids who walked around my high school with a ukulele. I grew out of that, thankfully. I tried being in a garage band for a bit afterwards, but practices always conflicted with Thief, so I've mostly kept it a lowkey hobby."

"Impressive. Play somethin' else," I said.

He grinned. "I was hoping you'd ask. This is a piece my band and I wrote. We called it 'A Dryxmar Ate My Homework.'" I snickered, but he had such a serious face as he began to strum, his head bobbing along to the beat. "No Mom, I didn't turn it in late. No Mom, I didn't flake. No Mom, my homework got ate. By a Dryxmaaaaarrrrrrr!" he howled the tune like it was supposed to be a death metal song, but the instrument gave off more of an indie folk vibe. I laughed, but the students next to me seemed so serious, their heads banging along as they rocked out.

"By a Dryxmaaaaarrrrr!" they howled after him.

When he finished, I beamed up at him, bowing like he was a god. "I demand the first signed copy of your album!" I joked.

The guitar got passed around after that, each student doing their own thing, most of them not really able to play. Griffin sat next to me when the girl got up to sit on the log with the instrument.

"I hope the party's treating you alright," he said.

"It's better now. I'm gonna talk about that gong guitar for weeks," I grinned.

"It's good to see you smiling. I know you're facing a drain right now, but you'll feel good as new in the morning," he smiled kindly. "Oh, I know what you'll like! Why don't you give the cymitar a try?" he waved at the girl to hand him the guitar then placed it on my lap.

"Is this anythin' like a normal 6-string or is this tuned completely different?" I asked.

"It's the same if you hold two strings at once with each finger," he said, "but if you don't it sounds way off."

I nodded. "Alright, before I do this, I have one question."

"Fire away," he smiled.

"If you're into that kind of music, do you honestly not know who Mötley Crüe is?"

He stared at me blankly. "Our… team name?"

I sighed. "Oh, young padawan. Much to learn, you have." I started playing, slowly at first so I could figure out the fingering and ended up getting the attention of everyone in the circle. After a few test runs, I started the song, playing loud and proud. "You know I'm a dreamer, but my heart's of gold. I had to run away high, so I couldn't come home low," I sang. "Just wait and things went right. Doesn't mean they were always wrong. Just take this song and you'll never be left all alone. Take me to your heart, feel me in your bones. Just one more _night_," I growled a bit, "and I'm comin' off this long and windin' road." Other people from the party began to gather around. I strummed harder as I started the chorus. "I'm on my way, I'm on my way! Home sweet home!" At the second chorus, I had people singing along with me. It was ace.

After my miniature concert, the cymitar got passed around by a whole crowd of people. Griffin went to go get some space away from the party for a minute and I went to go find Zeph. I found him over by some trees with a huge smile on his face.

"You look like you're havin' a good time. What've you been getting' up to?" I asked.

"Nothing much. Just made the rounds, showed off my dance moves, won an arm-wrestling tournament…," he trailed off, looking proud.

I grinned. "No way. Really? I mean, I know you like sports, but…"

"I'll have you know that I'm perfectly capable of winning a contest of strength. _Especially_ when my opponent is totally and completely distracted by his crush cheering him on," he smirked.

I laughed. "That definitely helps. Was there a prize?"

He shook his head. "Glory, fame, a sore arm. I figured the last one was a sign it was time to take a break." He dug around in his pocket until he pulled out a serviette with a crushed lump of fangleberry scone. "Smuggled this out of the dining hall. Want some?"

"You're my hero, Zephyr Hernandez," I clapped my hands together and bowed to him.

He split it in two, handing me one half, and hopped up onto a low section of stone wall. "Next time it's your turn to smuggle me food. I want a three-course steak dinner and one of those tiny pudding cups."

I laughed. "I'll put it on my to-do list. Figure out the deal with my reflection, survive my classes, and orchestrate a massive snack heist for Zeph. No sweat," I joked.

"Speaking of, are you feeling better? I know your magic was giving you issues earlier," he took a bite out of his clump of scone.

I swallowed a bite of mine and nodded. "Honestly, I'm feelin' alright. That spell earlier gave me a serious boost, and this is _so_ good," I took another bite. "As long as I don't use any magic, I'm fine, and with your company, there's no way I could feel down."

"You flatter me, Percy," he beamed. "I know all you really care about is the scone."

I groaned jokingly. "You know me too well."

"You know what they say. Friendship is fickle, food is forever," he almost made himself laugh. A loud cheer started behind us, making us both turn on the wall. "Sweet, another show! Let's get a closer look, Perc." He jumped down and ran into the masses. I tried to follow him, but it was difficult to navigate through the people.

"Get your magic in on this, everyone!" our captain shouted. "The night's at its peak, and we're gonna set the sky on _fire_!" As if the mass couldn't get any bigger, it did. I decided to hang back, since there was no way I'd find Zeph now.

The fireworks exploded, changing the colour of the sky every time. With all the commotion, I started getting anxious. I swore I saw a shadow creature, but when I blinked, it was gone. When I went to investigate, to make sure I was just seeing things, I found a path that stretched deeper into the woods. The party was so loud, I needed a break. I walked down the path, finally relaxing again with the quiet taking over the roaring of the crowd. I heard rustling to the side and jumped.

"Hello? Anybody there?" I asked, but there was no response. It was dead quiet.

"Hello? Anybody there?" echoed back at me, but way too late and complete to be an actual echo.

"That's not creepy at all," I mumbled to myself.

"… creepy at all…"

A bush next to me shook violently and a dark figure jumped out onto the path.

"Percy! Thank goodness I found you!" Aster bent over to catch her breath, looking panicked.

I held my other hand to my chest, swearing I was going to have a heart attack. "Aster! You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry, Percy, I just… needed-," her eyes went dark and her breath became heavier. "Not creatures… Percy… I must… They need you to see," she grabbed my wrist, instantly transporting me to wherever her mind was. Flashes of images ran through my mind. The rock I'd found in the shadow creature, Professor Kontos in the greenhouse… When she let go of my arm, I took a step back, holding my hand to my head.

"Aster, did you just take me _into_ your branchin'?" I asked when she came around.

"I could think of no better way. I believe the trees want you to take that strange stone to Professor Kontos," she explained. "I can tell it's extremely important. I urge you to see him as soon as you can!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Dark Secrets

When the sun finally came up, the morning was covered in fog. With the warning that Aster had given me just hours before, it felt ominous. I had that rock in my bag weighing me down as I walked through the campus to get to the greenhouse. I knew Kontos would be there because of his office hours, but it was still only about six in the morning. As expected, the door to the greenhouse was locked. I walked around to the window closest to his desk that wasn't covered by vines or thick leafy plants and tried to get his attention. I knocked on the glass.

"Professor, I need to speak to you," I said, sure it was muffled on the other side. "It's important."

I heard some shuffling and saw him walk towards the door. I headed back around right as the door swung open. "Percy, I wasn't expecting to see you this morning, and so early," he held the door open for me. "Is something the matter? I've never seen you so riled up." I assumed he could sense how anxious I was.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to bug you," I apologised, "but I really need your help with somethin'."

He led me over to his desk and pulled up a chair for me. "Of course, Percy. Come sit down and we'll see what we can do."

I pulled my bag off my shoulder and reached in for the rock, but when my fingers grazed it, it was shockingly cold. "Blimy-," I pulled my hand back and shook it.

"My goodness! What in the world is the matter, Percy?" Kontos sat in front of me in his chair and watched me dig through my bag again.

"Ast- I mean, someone… someone told me I had to bring this to you," I said, using my sleeve to cover my hand as I picked up the rock and set it on his desk quickly, trying not to freeze my fingers.

He leaned over it and fidgeted with his glasses. "Curious…," he muttered lowly, but in under a second, his jaw dropped, and he jumped back, knocking his chair over and some of the papers off of his desk. He fumbled for his pan flute, not taking his eyes off of the red rock. He played a note I can only describe as a dog whistle, then yelled, "Shatter!" A bolt of electricity shot down from the light above his desk and struck the rock, but it bounced off and hit the wall.

"What's that about?!" I asked, jumping up and ducking when the bolt went over my head.

He turned to me, eyes wide and hackles raised. "Where did you get that from? Is this supposed to be some kind of threat?!" he shouted at me.

"How is a rock threatenin'?!" I shouted back. "The worst I could do is throw it at you!"

"It could do far worse!" he said, then looked me up and down, his heavy brow furrowing. "Don't you understand what that is?"

"No! That's why I brought it here!" I looked him straight in the eyes. "I got attacked by some kind of… shadow thing… and when it died, it left that rock behind!"

"A shadow? What are you talking about?" he asked, still standing defensively, but he lowered his flute.

"Please, Professor, I'm just here lookin' for answers. I didn't mean for it to frighten you," I tried to say calmly, but the room was still full of stressed energy.

He stood up straight and looked sideways at me, trying to read me. "What you've brought me is an object of incredible evil, and there's no reason you should have it. Why exactly should I trust you?"

"Um… because I'm your student? The same Percy you've been teachin' all semester," I tried, but it didn't seem to work. "You know me, Professor. I'm a good student and I work hard. I promise you that I only came here to learn more about this rock."

His shoulders fell as he let out a long breath. He took a few steps towards me, but his eyes looked around the room as if he was waiting for some booby-trap to go off. His hoof thumped nervously when he stood in front of me. "I'm sorry, Percy. You just caught me off guard. I've never seen one of these in the flesh before, only in textbooks. It just startled me, that's all." He cleared his throat and set his pan flute on the desk, within arm's reach. "Now, what is this about a shadow attacking you? Nothing should be able to get through the wards. Have you reported it to administration? More importantly, are you alright?"

I didn't quite know where to start with the bombardment of questions. "I'm fine, Professor. I just want to know what this rock is."

He shook his head. "It is not important. A trifle really. An essence is nothing a student like you needs to worry about."

"So it's called an essence," I jumped at the new information, catching him off guard a bit. "Do you know what it's used for?"

"Percy, this matter is not up for discussion," he said sternly. "Trust me, learning more could be dangerous."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Dangerous? There are evil shadow creatures after me and you think _learnin'_ is dangerous?" I retorted, all civilities out the window. "By keepin' me in the dark, you're just puttin' me at risk. How am I supposed to defend myself?" I took a deep breath, calming myself. "Look, Professor. These things are after _me, _not anybody else, and they aren't slowin' down. I just want to know why."

He looked baffled at first, but it gave way to a guilty expression, his thick eyebrows lowering in thought. "Percy, I understand that you're struggling, but I'm afraid I've told you all that I can."

"But you've barely told me anythin'!" I threw my hands up in argument.

"And that is the way it should be," he stared down at me. "If you understood your situation, you'd be afraid, not looking for answers."

I put my arms down and stared up at him, feeling defeated. "You're right. I don't understand a single thing here. I'm in way over my head… but, Professor… I'm already afraid. Orien and I could have gotten seriously hurt last time one of those things showed up. What if a bigger one shows up next time and I can't fend it off?"

He frowned at me and heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't imagine what you're going through, Percy. It must be terribly frightening… but that's precisely why you need to leave it to me. I will ensure the situation is handled."

I shook my head. "I don't understand why you can't just tell me about this _essence_ thing. Is knowin' about it goin' to put me in more danger than my ignorance?"

He pressed his lips together in thought. He opened his mouth briefly, but shut it again, shaking his head. "It's far safer to just leave it be and let us professors worry about it."

I smacked my lips. "I don't think that'll help. I've already talked to other people about this and they've tried to get these attacks to stop, but nothin' they've done has helped."

"I-," he started, but looked away nervously, chewing his lip. He sighed again and turned to face me, crossing his arms. "Whether you believe me or not, Percy, I am doing this for your own good."

I fell back onto the chair and put my head in my hands, trying to settle my anxiety. So much was happening. I just wanted it to stop. I just wanted to go to class and worry about homework and my social life like every other student. I hated having to watch my back every second of every day so that I was ready _when_, not if, something attacked me again. I looked up at him, my hands folded in between my knees. "Professor, are you sure there's nothin' else you can tell me about the essence?"

He looked at me, pursing his lips as if he'd been debating with himself. He sat back down in his chair and let out a deep breath. "Alright, Percy. It's not normally a subject I'd discuss, but considering the circumstances, I'll tell you a bit about it," he said. I looked up at him, relieved to finally be getting some real answers. "An essence is what gives us life. Think of it like a soul."

"So this used to be someone… or somethin''s soul?" I asked, sitting up.

"At one time, yes," he looked sorrowful, like the subject disturbed him deep in his core. "Normally when a creature dies, its essence would disappear, but this one has been corrupted by an outside force."

"What could even do that?" I furrowed my brow, thinking that it would take massive amounts of magic to alter a soul.

He stared down at the rock, the same pained expression on his face. "Only very dark magic."

My eyes darted between him and the rock. "How does this link up with the shadow creatures?"

"I don't know, Percy. In all my studies, I have never heard of creatures like the ones you described," his gaze met mine again.

"I wonder what it was used for then," I pondered. "Getting' them sounds pretty difficult. Maybe… someone _made_ it?" I asked, knowing that it was a ridiculous idea, but who really knew at that point?

"Not possible," he said quickly. "An essence cannot be created. No magic is that powerful." He stood up, gesturing for me to do the same. "Now, I think it is best if you get going. I'll be holding onto the essence, so I can do some more research on it."

"But-"

"I can't allow you to walk around with such a dangerous object," he shook his head. "The less you have to do with it, the safer you'll be." He picked it up off his desk and set it in one of his desk drawers, his hands shaking all the while. He put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me toward the door. "I don't know what you've gotten involved in, Percy, but you must stay out of it. This is a matter for the professors to handle," he repeated. "You are meddling with evil beyond your powers. For Blood magic to be used in such a way…"

"I knew it!" I said upon hearing the words. "Blood magic _is_ behind this!"

"Er-!" his eyes went wide, but quickly shot me an angry look. "Forget I said anything on the matter!" he snapped. "Mind _these_ words, Percy. For your own safety, do not investigate any further!" With that as his last word, he pushed me out of the greenhouse, handed me my bag, and closed the door.

"Damn it," I kicked the dirt and groaned. I'd really hoped to get some more answers, but at least I knew what it was and what magic was involved. That was at least _something_. I tramped back up to the dorm to get my books for the day and tell Shreya what had happened.

Today was the day of my first Thief game, so I tossed my uniform into my bag for later. I was about to head out to get some breakfast when a loud knock echoed through my door. _That can't be Shreya… She never knocks…_ I opened the door, peaking through the crack, but what I saw made me forget all of my worry in an instant.

"Good morning, Percy. I hope I didn't wake you," Beckett greeted. He was _shirtless_. Shirtless and holding two rolled up yoga mats. He looked me over quickly then asked nervously, "Were you headed out? I can go-"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. Er, good mornin', Beckett. What are you doing here… shirtless… so early in the mornin'?"

"I was about to begin my morning yoga when I remembered that the first Thief game of the season is today," he said. "With everything going on, I thought you might be a bit tense before the match, and I figured I could help you unwind."

I smiled for the first time since the party. "Wait, you're askin' me to do yoga with you?"

"I know that may seem odd, but I promise you I'm being sincere," he looked like he was going to smile, but he was so nervous that he just lightly blushed as his mouth twitched a few times. "I always find yoga rather centring, and I was hoping you'd practice with me."

I tried not to snicker, seeing how serious he was. "Sure, why not," I held the door open for him and put my bag back down on my bed. He followed me in and laid the mats out in the centre of my room. He sat down at the back of his and motioned for me to mimic him. "I guess we're jumpin' right into this. So… what do we do first?" I asked, having never done or seen yoga in my life. I mean, I'd seen it on the tele or passing by on the street, but I always thought it was silly and never paid attention.

"Yoga is all about setting your mind on what you're doing and letting everything else go," he explained. "You have to become one with your body and breath." We started out by almost meditating, which, recently, made me feel a bit better. The sun shining through the window hit my face and filled me with a calmness I hadn't known in a while. "Warming up your back is crucial," he said, "so follow along. 'Child's pose' and 'cat cow' are two of my favourite back stretches."

I couldn't stop my laugh that time. "What ridiculous names! Who comes up with these?"

He started into the first pose with a wide grin on his face. "I've read up quite a bit on the history of yoga as a practice. The origins of some postures extend back to-," he rambled.

I held up my hand to stop him. "On second thought, forget I asked."

He laughed triumphantly, like he was trying to irritate me. I followed him into his pose and watched his movements. "Next, we're going to go into downward facing dog," he said, tucking his toes underneath his feet and planting his hands firmly on the other end of the mat. He lifted his hips, moving from a push-up position into an upside-down V. I followed him, thinking we looked pretty silly, but I didn't care at this point. Nobody was watching. "Brilliant. Now, don't bow your back. Try to push your sternum down and do the same with your heels. Stretch, stretch, stretch."

I laughed at his enthusiasm, throwing myself off balance a bit, but I was able to get it back pretty easily. "No sweat."

"Well, it is a rather basic posture," he said blandly.

"This is my first time. You could encourage me a little, coach," I teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, sorry. You _are_ doing quite well. Impeccable form, actually."

"Are you lookin' at my arse, Beckett?" I joked.

He looked flustered immediately and nearly fell. "What? No!"

I laughed even louder, actually falling. "I'm takin' a piss. You're so easy to mess with."

After a few more poses and relentless joking, we transitioned into some more complicated positions.

"Peaceful warrior is my new favourite thing," I said. "I never thought I'd enjoy lungin' so much. Yoga isn't as bad as it seems," I admitted. "Kind of relaxin', really."

"That's why I do it," he beamed. "I must say, I'm somewhat relieved that you agreed to practice with me. I rarely tell people that I do yoga because I know I don't seem the type." He pursed his lips a little. "Frankly, I'm used to people teasing me when I bring it up."

"Is that not what I'm doin'?" I asked, switching to the other leg. "I really need to up my game then." He glared at me a bit. "Hey, I'm doin' it, aren't I?" He smiled and looked away. It was nice to see a different side to him. I was so used to dealing with his overachieving tosser mentality, but inside he was just a yoga-loving white girl. "So, when did you start doin' yoga?" I asked as we descended into the plank position.

His nicely gelled hair fell over his eye and he tried to shake it out of his face, but it just sprung back to where it was. "I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that I was rather hard on myself in secondary school," he smirked over at me.

"What? No way. I can't believe it," I said sarcastically.

His lips twitched, but he remained straight faced as he held his body weight on his arms. "I stressed myself out to the point of illness before exams, but I never told my family because I didn't want to worry them," he said, his voice starting to shake a little. "I knew I had to find a way to manage my stress, so I went to the library to read up on calming techniques."

"Of course you did," I laughed, making my own core tremble. _Leave it to Beckett to fall ill from studyin' then go study to find the solution_.

"I tried yoga and enjoyed it, so I've been doing it three times a week, at the absolute least," he grinned. "Not only is it relaxing, it's wonderful exercise as well." He lowered himself to the mat before lifting himself back into downward dog.

I followed his lead, but my bronze feather pendant kept hitting me in the nose. I used one hand to try to tuck it into my shirt, but it kept falling back out. "Ugh, just stay in there," I groaned, trying to keep my balance on one hand.

"That's why I don't wear a shirt," he said simply.

"Yeah, but my shirt's not the problem," I replied, just letting it hang over my face.

"Why don't you just take it off?" he asked. I shot him a look that I'm sure was meaner than I'd intended. "Is it important?"

He went into another pose and I followed, allowing my necklaces to fall back to my chest. "I guess so, yeah," I was quiet for a moment, but his face was too curious. _Jeez, you need an answer for everythin'._ "I was found with this one," I held up the sun pendant under my chin. "My mum told me it was special, but I didn't like wearin' it when I was little. She had it in her hand when she died and I haven't taken it off since," I said. He was speechless. I knew it was always awkward to bring up dead family. Everyone always wanted to apologise or comfort me, but it wasn't a huge deal. My mum was old and had a heart attack. It happens. Sure, it hurt for a bit, but it was a while ago. "You don't have to say anythin'. It was years ago. Bein' depressed about it doesn't help at all," I told him.

"What about the other one?" he asked, trying to change the topic, I assumed.

"I found it at a fair and really liked the look," I smirked. We both sat down, our legs crossed in front of us. "You know, when you said you wanted to do yoga, I sort of thought there'd be some kind of magical twist."

He chortled. "Yoga is yoga, Percy. There's no magic needed," he looked sideways at me. "But now that you mention it, I do know a spell that makes a partner position more interesting."

"Explain," I said.

"It's like…," he tried to show me how it worked with his fingers. From what I could tell, one person would lie on their back with their legs up supporting the other person's hips. "The spell makes the participants float. If balance is maintained, one can do a full rotation while in the position."

I let out a laugh. "Yeah, there's no way I'm tryin' that. I'd botch the whole thing up."

"I think you'd be more than adequate at it, Percy. You are indeed a fantastic yoga partner," he complimented.

"You know, I won't judge you for doin' this kind of thing. It's sort of fun, but if you tell anyone about this, I'll do you in," I raised my eyebrows at him. "That said, we should do this again sometime."

He smirked as he rolled up his mat. "It would be my pleasure. I'll let you prepare for your Thief game now. I wouldn't want you to be late."

"No chance of that. I'm wide awake and rearin' to go!" I flexed playfully.

He laughed in a way he didn't around anyone else. I was glad I could make him smile. "Thank you for joining me this morning, Percy. I really enjoyed this," he said as he approached my door.

"Yeah, it was fun. Now go put a shirt on, pretty boy," I shooed him away with a smirk.

After eating as much as I could for breakfast, I headed up to the stadium. On the way there, I met up with Shreya, Zeph, Beckett, and Griffin near the courtyard. I told them about that morning and the little bit of information I'd gotten from Kontos.

"Using Blood magic and an essence to create life… Incredible," Beckett gasped. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"I bet he's hiding something!" Shreya crossed her arms and leaned on her hip. "This seems like just the kind of thing the admin doesn't want students learning about."

"He's just trying to keep Percy safe, Shreya," Griffin retorted. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Maybe we should listen to him, Percy," Zeph looked at me wearily. "He's a professor. He can handle this way better than we can."

I sighed. "I know Kontos means well, but these shadow creatures are dangerous. I can't just sit idly when they could try to kill me again at any moment. I have to protect myself," I reasoned. "If I act like everythin's alright and I just try to focus on school, they could catch me off guard. At least if I investigate, I'll learn more about them so I can defend myself."

Griffin nodded. "You're right. We need to do whatever we can to ensure you don't get hurt."

I frowned and looked towards the doors of the stadium. "I just wish I knew where they were comin' from. Then we'd have a lead."

"Actually," Beckett chimed in, "the essence could do just that. I know a potion that reveals where an object originated from, but it requires rather specific ingredients. Baby's breath, meteorite fragment, and a basilisk scale. And the essence, of course."

I shrugged. "Okay, so we pop by Penn Square after the game."

He shook his head. "You can't go to the store to purchase these ingredients. They're harder to come by," he paused and looked around. "Perhaps we could find a baby and bottle their breath…"

I snorted. "That's ridiculous. Baby's breath is a flower." All four of them stared at me in confusion. "It's actual baby's _breath_? Jeez, I am never goin' to get used to this place…," I shook my head in disbelief.

"Beckett, would Kontos have these ingredients?" Shreya asked.

"Probably," he replied. "In his private stock, at least, but that's not available to students." He looked at me then Shreya then finally got what we were thinking. "No… No, no, _no_. We are not stealing from a professor! Absolutely not!" he whispered harshly.

"The essence is in his desk drawer," I gave Shreya a look.

"If that's the plan then you're going to have to miss the game," Griffin said. "It's the only guarantee you have that Kontos will be out of his office, since he's the ref today."

"Then you can count me out!" Zeph waved his hand in front of him. "There's no way I'm going to miss watching the first game of the season just to get some potion ingredients."

Shreya scoffed. "Typical. Well then, looks like it's just you and me, Percy."

"Are you seriously going to skip the game?" Zeph looked at me like I was crazy. "When you're on the varsity team?"

"It's not like I _want_ to miss it," I sighed. "I was really lookin' forward to playin' my first official match…"

"Exactly! The first game is all about team bonding and the crowd falling in love with you," he said. "How can you give that up?"

I sighed again. "If there was a better time, I'd take it, but this seems like our best shot."

"He's right," Griffin agreed. "There won't be another opportunity like this for weeks. It's now or never."

"I'm sorry, Zeph, but this is more important than the game," I hated saying, but it was true.

He looked defeated. "I know… You're right… I guess I'll just have to save my special Percy cheer for later."

I patted his back then addressed the rest of the group. "Alright, Beckett. Can you tell me a bit more about the ingredients, so I don't screw this up?"

"I doubt you will-," he started, but I gave him a look and he knew I was right. "Well, baby's breath is self-explanatory. Meteorite fragment will be a shiny silver rock, and the basilisk scale should be labelled, since it has toxic properties depending on how you use it."

I took note of his words in my head. "Got it. Then, Shreya, I'll meet you outside the arena just after the game starts."

She smiled. "Thank goodness I won't have to sit through the whole game. It's _sooo_ hard to watch." We all looked at her like she was mad. "Er, I meant… because the seats are just very, _very_ uncomfortable!" she smiled cheekily, and we all rolled our eyes.

Zeph grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the stadium. "Well, you can put up with the seats for a little while, 'cause I don't want to miss the pregame festivities!" She looked back at me and mouthed "help me," but I just laughed at her. Beckett followed them in, leaving me and Griffin outside. We walked through a different door to get to the field.

"Griff, I'm really sorry that I have to miss the game. It's just, I don't know when we'll get another chance at-," I started apologising, really not wanting to miss the game.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Getting those ingredients is important. Besides, I can handle the game. Heck, if I had to, I could probably take on the whole other team by myself!" he puffed out his chest and gave me a wide grin.

I bit my cheek. "Are you sure you're goin' to be alright?"

"Of course! I've played plenty of Thief games without a friend. This one will be no different," he said. I frowned, a bit offended, but I understood. Griffin eyed the other team and deflated a little. "I _was_ looking forward to playing with you, though."

"Maybe I can make it back in time?" I tried.

"Actually," he said, "it's a bit of a long shot, but if you can get in and out fast enough, you could be back in time to play in the second half." I felt a renewed sense of joy. "You just have to check in with Coach before the whistle blows. That should be at 2:30."

"What if I don't make it?" I asked, feeling a bit rushed.

"Then you won't be able to play," he said bluntly. "The coach has to submit a roster of who's playing in the second half before it starts."

I nodded. "I'll keep an eye on the clock then." We headed over to Captain from the team's tunnel and I tried to look nauseous.

"Miller! I see you're suited up and ready to go. What's up?" he was beaming, excited to finally show me off to the other schools.

"Captain, I'm actually not feelin' too well. I don't think I can play right now," I held my stomach and tried to look sickly.

He sighed and frowned. "Well, that sucks, but we don't need you getting sicker, or making the team sick, so just rest up, I guess," he said. "If you somehow manage to feel better before the second half, let me know and we'll get you in the game. We could definitely use you out there."

I nodded. "I'll go see the nurse or lie down for a bit."

When the rest of the team headed for the field, I snuck out to find Shreya. We hurried down the steps to the greenhouse on the other side of campus. We hid in the bushes outside, looking for wandering eyes. Kontos left the greenhouse, whistling to himself, and closed the door before heading up to the stadium.

"C'mon. Let's go," I whispered. We launched out of the bushes as quietly and quickly as possible and ducked inside the classroom. The greenhouse was empty, but Kontos had so much stuff and I wasn't sure where to start looking. "Orien," I whispered. He appeared suddenly with a little yip. I held my finger to my lips. "Shh, quiet, boy. Do you think you could help us find some ingredients?" He spun in a quick circle then ran over to Shreya to help her look. "I'll grab the essence," I whispered to her, heading for the desk.

"If I were a professor, where would I hide my personal potion ingredients?" she asked as she looked around the walls.

"Probably somewhere out of sight," I answered, sliding the drawer open. "You don't think he made it invisible, do you?"

"Only one way to find out," she shrugged and started feeling around the air.

I pulled the rock out, not getting a single feeling from it this time, and shoved it into my bag quickly. Orien poked his nose into some plants and sniffed around the floor. He made a sort of squeaking noise then spun in a circle.

"Did you find it?" I asked, closing the drawer and walking over to him. He stared at the wall. I pushed the thick leaves of the tall plants apart to reveal a cabinet. The handle was locked, of course. "This has to be where he keeps his personal stash," I said to Shreya. "Now, we just have to bust this lock open."

She scoffed. "Step aside. I've got this." I was just going to unlock it the way Griffin had shown me over a month ago, but she did a fancy finger twirl and the door opened itself. "We're lucky Kontos is so trusting. If he were my parents, he'd have at least a dozen enchantments guarding his stock." A noise got our attention and she spun around. "You get what you need. I'll watch the door," she said before walking over to the far wall.

I found a small jar of smoke, which looked like baby's breath to me, and placed it in my bag. One shelf had a variety of stones on them, but only one of them was silver. I snagged the rock then looked for the scale. The bottom shelf had a variety of animal parts, but only one of them was labelled. Not to mention, it was a scale about the size of my hand. I didn't know much about magical creatures yet, but I'd read enough Harry Potter to know that it was a big arse snake.

"Got everythin'. Let's go!" I whispered urgently, closing the cabinet and ruffling the foliage in front of it to cover it once more.

"That was fast. With you two working together, you didn't even need me here," Shreya smirked.

"Yeah, but that's less fun," I said. "No offense, buddy." Orien yipped up at me happily.

Shreya grinned. "As much as I appreciate the flattery, we should get going."

I could hear whistling coming from outside. "Shit."

"How is he back already?!" she whispered. "The game can't be over yet!"

"We have to hide! Quick, Orien, back to the ether!" I looked down at him urgently and he disappeared with a brief nod. I loved that he understood me. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" I whirled around, looking for anywhere we could hide. We ran over to the desk on the far side of the greenhouse. I was looking frantically for a spot, but Shreya was frozen. "What are you doin'? Hide!"

"But look!" she whispered. "This is about the essence!" she pointed to an open book on Kontos' desk. One page had a sketch of the essence with some writing and diagrams surrounding it.

I groaned. "Fine, grab it, but we have to hide _now_," I said, looking back around.

She ripped out a hand full of pages then snapped her fingers. The next few pages crinkled and filled in with extra words. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a massive pile of vines against the back wall. It was the only thing I could think of. We barely made it before the door opened. Kontos walked over to his desk and picked up a wooden whistle. He glanced around the room, his eyebrows furrowed suspiciously. Shreya and I were crammed so close to each other that I could feel her breath on my cheek. I glanced over at her and she winked. Before I could give her a look to stop screwing around, the vines began to move along my arm. A pink flower began to sprout under her nose, making her eyes go wide. It shook some pollen and her mouth shot open. I quickly covered it, keeping her from coughing. Her eyes closed tightly, and she let out a silent squeal. I looked down and noticed that a vine had wrapped around her ankle. I moved my foot slowly on top of the vine and pressed my weight down on it until it let go of her in defeat. She opened her eyes and stared at me.

"What was that?" Kontos' hooves thumped against the dirt floor as he came closer to the vines. I stayed perfectly still, not wanting to even breathe. He shook his head and went back to his desk. I watched him close the journal and tuck it under his arm before heading back to the door. He did one last sweep of the room then left. When the door closed, I let out the breath I'd been holding.

"That was way too close," I collapsed as I emerged from the vines, falling onto the floor. We'd dropped the pages while struggling to get out of the vines. I gathered them up and shoved them into my bag.

"You're telling me," she leaned on her knees, huffing and puffing as much as I was. "Let's get out of here before these vines decide we're food." She helped me up and pulled me out behind her. When we reached the edge of the lake, she tugged at my bag. "Well, what do those pages say?"

I pulled them out and started reading, "'I believe this essence was used to create a bein' known as a shade. They are mere echoes of their true forms. Shades are created when a powerful Attuned kills a creature and takes its essence, a substance little understood, but akin to the soul.'" I grimaced. "That's terrible!"

"This all sounds _very_ bad," she agreed.

I kept reading. "'But one essence alone is not enough to create life. Blood magic must be used to fuse two essences together first. With their essences fused together, Blood magic can then be used to give them solid form, however, the process of removal and fusion corrupts the essences, so the creatures created no longer resemble their original form.'"

"So these monsters you've been fighting have been made from other creatures?" she gasped.

"I guess that explains why they don't all look the same," my lip curled, understanding Kontos' disgust with the subject earlier in the day.

"All of this is super illegal! You can go to prison forever for doing Blood magic!" she said, her hand to her chest.

I was more concerned by a more specific detail. "Someone is doin' it specifically to get at me," I said, barely able to grasp the concept. I shook my thoughts away and kept reading, clearing my throat. "'These creatures are hollow, followin' any orders given to them by the Attuned responsible for their creation. If Blood magic is involved here, as I suspect it is, I worry about what the Attuned intends and why they're targetin' a student…,'" I flipped the page, but nothing was written on the back. "I guess that's all he's written on it so far. Still, that's more than we knew this mornin'. It finally feels like we're getting' somewhere."

"That's a lot to take in," Shreya ran a hand through her hair.

I let out a breath, remembering our mission as I tucked the papers back into my bag. "That wasn't so bad. We got all the stuff in time for me to play in the rest of the game!" I cheered. "Griffin said I just needed to be back before 2:30."

"Uh, Percy, I hate to break it to you, but it's 2:28, and we are on the complete other side of campus," she pointed to the clocktower on the building behind me.

I hung my head. "I guess I'm not playin' today after all," I sighed. "At least we got the ingredients."

She crossed her arms and groaned. "Ugh, fine! I _could_ let you use my teleportation ring. It only has one charge left, but you'll go directly to the game," she said. "I've been holding onto it forever, but this feels like the right time to use it." She pulled her ring off her finger and held it out to me.

I stared at her in wonder. "Really? You're sure?"

"Yes, but you're gonna owe me big time," she put her hand on her hip.

I took the ring from her and slipped it halfway onto my pinkie. "You're my hero, Shreya. A true friend among friends!" I praised.

She tapped the gem. "Just think about the place you want to go and jump," she instructed.

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you, Shreya," I took her hand and kissed it.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go. You're out of time!" she smirked, rolling her eyes.

I mouthed one more thank you before thinking of the stadium and jumping. Before I hit the ground, the world swirled around me, turning the lake into the Thief pitch. I sprinted over to Coach and begged him to let me play in the second half. He gladly put my name on the roster and told me to line up with the rest of the team. I jogged over to them giddily. "I'm here! I'm feelin' much better and I'm ready to play!"

"Then let's go out there and win this thing!" Captain cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Griffin patted my back. "Glad you could make it."

"Well, I couldn't leave you all by yourself. How'd the last half go?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It was alright, but this half will be better," he gave me a sure look and I nodded.

The dome closed as we got into starting position. Captain turned to us and gave us the rundown. "Alright, here's the plan. Langley, Ward, I want you to keep them distracted. Miller, you're with me. We go on the offensive." I nodded eagerly. He turned around right as Kontos blew the whistle and the terrain began to change.

The first challenge was a winter wonderland with about three feet of snow. We had to jump just to move. Griffin and Ward split up and went as fast as they could. The captain and I started towards the other team when we spotted them in the distance.

"Here they come!" he said. "Let's show them what we've got!"

Snowballs flew at the other team from either side of the hills, forcing them to come straight toward us. I looked around quickly, looking at the massive amount of snow. I pulled my hand up and forced it forward, making the snow climb up each of their legs and trap them in place. Captain clapped his hands together and blew through them. A strong wind knocked them off their feet.

"Not bad, rookie," he turned to me with a wide grin.

"Happy to help," I smirked as we rushed forward and nicked as many flags as we could before they got up. "Thanks for this!" I held one up and stuck my tongue out at the first guy who'd rushed toward us. Three of the players got teleported out to the bench. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed in the distance. Captain stopped and looked up to see where it came from. I noticed the girl he'd bent over trying to steal his flag. "Captain! Look out!" but I was too late. He stared at me in shock as he began to phase out.

"Damnit-," he groaned as he disappeared.

The girl jumped to her feet and eyed me. "Let's dance," she smirked.

Not feeling super confident, I darted off in the opposite direction. In the distance, I saw a few of my teammates get their flags pulled. Then the terrain shifted. We were in a desert with a few thorny trees popping up out of the ground. I spun back around, now able to get to the girl following me, but she wasn't there.

"Where's the captain?" Ward asked, looking around.

"Out already," I said, my eyes darting as much as his were. We weren't safe out in the open.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" he panicked.

"Breathe, Ward. You'll be fine. We've practiced this a million times," I patted his shoulder. I saw the girl from earlier rushing toward us behind him, hands raised. "For now, just try to keep her from getting' our flags," I pushed him out of the way when giant boulders began to roll at us.

"You can't run forever!" she shouted. We took off running from the massive rocks, but I stopped suddenly, my own hands raised. "You think you can face me one-on-one? Cute."

I smirked, knowing what I was about to do. "It's not really one-on-one, is it?" I flicked my wrists, turning two of the boulders against her. They hit her, knocking her off her feet.

"Nice defence!" Ward cheered.

The girl got to her feet, angrier now than she was before. "She's still comin' after us!" I shouted, feeling uneasy.

"Miller, get out of here! You'll stand a better chance if you can find Langley!" Ward shouted and jumped in front of me. "He was still in last I saw him. I'll hold her off and buy you some time."

"Thanks, Ward!" I took off to look for Griff, but two steps out, the terrain shifted again. The next area was a meadow full of trees and flowers. I sprinted across the field, but didn't see anyone. I got to the top of a small hill and saw Griffin running up the other side.

"Oh good, at least we still have two players in," he panted. "I'm pretty sure we're all that's left."

"How many do they have? Ward was facin' off with one where I came from, but I don't know if he beat her," as I spoke, the girl came running out of the woods. "I guess not." Two more emerged behind Griffin.

He smirked. "Looks like we're slightly outnumbered. No problem, though. I'll keep them distracted. When the time's right, go for their flags."

I nodded. He crouched down, placing his hands on the ground, making it shake around us. I twirled my hand around and made a grabbing motion toward the two players behind us. A gentle breeze swirled through the air and nicked all three flags while they struggled to stand. "Don't mind me. I'm just gonna borrow these."

One of the guys behind us stumbled forward and reached for both flags. "Give those back!" he shouted, but I quickly pulled my hand back to my shoulder, making the draft stronger. I snatched the three flags out of the air when they floated back to me, and they all disappeared.

"Cutting it a little close there," Griffin laughed.

"Oi, it worked, didn't it?" I waved the flags in front of him before they disappeared, too. In an instant, the stadium was back and the dome was withdrawn. The crowd was cheering loudly. "Look at that, we won."

The rest of our team poured in around us, cheering. "Nice work, rookie!" Captain slammed his hand down on my shoulders.

"I knew you could do it!" Ward high-fived Griffin.

As we headed back over to Coach, I heard a loud, "Percy, Percy, Percy!" coming from the stands. When we were dismissed, Griffin and I ran over to them.

"Did you see how Percy got those flags at the end?!" Zeph raved like he was my biggest fan. He probably was. "And Griffin dodged two players at once! It was incredible!" he screamed.

Shreya rolled her eyes. "We were all there, Zeph. We all saw it," the corner of her mouth twitched. "It was rather impressive…"

"Yes, yes, you're all rather skilled. Now, can we get going?" Beckett began pushing us all out towards the door. We left the stadium and headed straight for the Roost.

Beckett set up a cauldron on the floor between the beanbags and we laid out the ingredients before him, watching him work.

"Yes, this looks like everything I'll need," he muttered to himself.

"Percy had the whole situation handled," Shreya praised me. "He went in there and picked out the right stuff without any help. I'm so proud."

"That's our little Percy, kicking names and taking ass," Zeph added, purposefully messing up the phrase.

I rolled my eyes. "Who are you, my parents?" I chuckled.

"I still can't believe you actually managed to get this out of a professor's private stock without getting caught," Beckett stared up at me, but I wasn't sure if it was in awe or some strange disapproval.

"Well, I _am_ amazin'," I joked.

"And I can see it's not going to your head or anything," Shreya teased.

"Well, you still need _me_ to make the potion," Beckett added.

"Oh yeah, that is the only reason we keep you around, after all," I said sarcastically. "Besides, you wouldn't be anywhere without my flawless leadership." Shreya and Beckett shook their heads.

"Well, the potion is going to take a few hours to brew, so we should be able to get our answers later tonight," Beckett told us.

"I can't think of anything more boring than watching someone make a potion, and I'm starving, so I'm gonna go get some dinner," Zeph announced, heading for the hole in the floor.

"I heard they're serving fairy dust crème brulee for dessert tonight. I'm not missing that," Shreya gleamed, also standing to leave.

"Count me in," Griffin got up to follow them. "I need to refuel after that game."

"Speakin' of," I turned to them. "Can you bring somethin' up for us, maybe?"

"Don't do anything stupid while we're gone," Griffin called back over his shoulder.

"Why would we-," Beckett was going to object, but his response was lame.

"No promises," I called back after he'd descended to the hallway.

When I turned back to Beckett, he was fidgeting with his cuff. "Percy, it's been a few years since my sister taught me this potion-," he started, but cut himself off this time.

"You didn't say that your sister is the one who taught it to you," I grinned, leaning against the Thief table.

"Oh, well, she did. She used to help me with a lot of spellwork and potions, since we aren't technically supposed to learn them until we reach university," he stared down at the cauldron. "Together, the two of us could basically do anything," he looked back at me, the ghost of a smile gracing his face. "Anyway, I was thinking, it might be better to have more than one set of eyes on the potion, since it's been so long… If you'd like to help me…"

"A chance to learn from the great Beckett Harrington twice in one day? I'm honoured," I teased. He rolled his eyes. "I'm goin' to change back into my street clothes before we start, though," I pulled my bag off the floor and went over to the corner. It was a bit chilly in the attic of the old stone building in the winter, though it didn't snow on campus… probably an enchantment.

"Hand me the basilisk scale. Then light the cauldron and keep the flame low," he ordered when I sat next to him.

"How big do basilisks here usually get?" I asked, handing him the scale. "I only know about the one from Harry Potter and that thing was _huge_."

He rolled his eyes again. "Of course you've seen those movies…"

"I read the books first, thank you," I corrected him.

He scoffed. "A fully-grown basilisk is typically the size of a car, though the largest recorded one was nearly as big as a dragon."

"So J.K.R was right!" I gloated.

"That series is atrocious. You need to read better material," he said as he chopped the scale into small pieces.

"They're children's books. Lighten up," I lit the cauldron, keeping the flame low enough to just lick the base. With just the small amount of heat, the potion turned from deep blue to bright orange. "So, you said your sister taught you this potion. I bet there's a story there."

"Not really. I was just interested in testing the potion's abilities," he said blandly, but I'd known him long enough now to know when he was trying to seem like a hardarse.

I elbowed him. "C'mon. It's just me up here. I've seen you do yoga. We're trust buddies now," I teased.

He groaned. "Please don't say that ever again. If you _must_ know, my parents took me to visit Katrina in France, and while walking through Paris, I found someone's Prinot."

"A what now?" I asked.

"It's a journal sealed with magic so it can only be opened by one person," he explained. "This one was pretty well-worn, so I figured it was important. My imagination got the best of me. It could have been someone's memoir, notes from a secret society, or research on a new form of magic."

"You are such a keener," I muttered.

He pursed his lips at me. "I was having… trouble… with the task and, finally, asked my sister to help me find its owner. That was the day we made the potion together."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "But doesn't the potion show you where an item originated? Wouldn't that take you to a factory or somethin'?"

He shook his head. "No. Items change as people use them and give them homes. That meant the Prinot's origin was where it was used the most."

"So, did you get it back to them?" I inquired, invested in his story.

"Yes, but it turned out it was just the book-keeping for a business," he frowned a bit. "Nothing special about it."

"What a let-down," I sympathised.

"Not at all," he said. "It was a job well done, and Katrina took me on a special trip to the archives of the Musee de la Magie that same day."

I snickered. "You mean she took you there to cheer you up." He pursed his lips again and glared at the cutting board. "So, what else did your sister teach you?"

"Mostly, she taught me the spells and potions we've been learning in class," he explained. "That was about it."

I looked sideways at him. "Oh, come on. I know you. There must have been a ton of stuff that wasn't class related."

"Not really," he lied. I stared at him knowingly. "Oh, _fine_. There was one time she let me help her make her famous Witch's Brew for a party. We spent hours in the kitchen, and at the end of it, she even let me try some."

"Was it good?"

"I suppose," he shrugged. "It was a bit like butterscotch but spicy, and it made me oddly dizzy." I laughed. _It's alcohol, Beck. That's what it's supposed to do._ "I tried to sneak more at the party, but Katrina was watching me like a griffin, and every time I got close, she'd shoo me away."

"She seems pretty over-protective," I watched the fire as it curled up under the cauldron.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," he chortled. I nudged him with my elbow again. "Would you quit that?"

"Not until you elaborate. I don't have siblin's. I'm livin' vicariously through you right now. What else did she do?" I pleaded.

He slid the scale pieces off of the board and into the cauldron and handed me a ladle. "First, stir anti-clockwise ten times, then add the meteorite fragment."

"Whole?" I asked.

"Yes, whole," he replied.

I set about stirring, counting my rotations, then dropped the shiny rock into the liquid. He began cutting up the ends of a plant. "Beckett," I said. When he didn't respond, I added, "You're stallin'. Talk."

"I am doing no such thing," he huffed. I aimed my elbow at his ribs again and he held up his hands in a surrender. "Okay, okay!" he pushed my arm away. "When I was in my last year of secondary, I really wanted to brew Seer's Sight. It's a rather difficult potion that lets you see into the past," he told me. "But when I asked Katrina to help me, she said it was too dangerous and that I'd need to wait longer until I was at Penderghast to learn it."

"I'm guessin' you didn't," I took a shot in the dark.

He stuck up his nose. "There is no harm that comes from learning… but in my case, she may have been right," he pursed his lips. "Instead of listening to her, I attempted to make the potion on my own."

"Called it," I nodded. "It went horribly wrong in every way possible, didn't it?"

"It sort of… exploded," a smile tugged at his mouth.

"And?"

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "And singed off one of my eyebrows."

I laughed when he blushed. "How did your sister react? I bet she ripped you a new one for that."

He nodded sheepishly. "Indeed. She gave me the lecture of my life."

"She was probably just worried about you," I said.

"I suppose," he shrugged. "When I first saw her, she was crying and kept going on and on about how scared she was. It was rather melodramatic of her."

"But she's still your sister, so she must have teased you relentlessly."

"I'll have you know she only made a single joke about my face looking unbalanced," he straightened his blazer and I laughed. He leaned over the cauldron for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh.

"It's not goin' to explode, is it?" I asked, half teasing, half actually concerned about our safety.

"Of course not!" he said quickly.

"Then, are _you_ okay?" I asked, eyeing him closely.

He looked twitchy. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm perfectly fine…," he leaned back over the potion.

I got really close to his ear, but didn't turn my volume down at all. Being obnoxious seemed to be the only way to get him to open up. Funny how that works. "Beckett," I started. "C'mon, Beckett. Tell your best mate what's botherin' you."

He groaned. "Are you always this annoying?"

I looked him dead in the eyes. "No. Sometimes I'm worse." He looked at me like he was regretting asking for my help. "Seriously, Beck, you know you can talk to me, right?" I leaned back on my hands.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" he asked, but not as aggravatedly as I'd expected. He ran a hand through his hair when I didn't answer that question. "It's just weird not to see her all the time. Even when we were busy with school or charity events or research, we always had time to talk, but now that I'm here, if feels like we're so far apart."

"Everybody gets homesick. It's totally normal," I said.

He looked away again. "I know… I'm sure it will pass."

"But until it does, I'm happy to listen."

He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I just don't know what I'm going to do when I can't manage everything on my own."

"You aren't on your own," I started. "Maybe it won't be the same as it used to be, but you can still support each other from far away. You can give her a call or make plans for the holidays or send her a letter," I started listing all the ways.

"A letter? What century do you think this is?" he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "It's an important skill to have. You might as well use it," I muttered, thinking back to every writing class I'd ever had in the history of my education. "My point is, you can still help each other. You just have to put in a little more effort than you used to."

"I… will keep that in mind," he grinned as he chopped the plant some more.

"Besides, you have _friends_ now," I said it in such a cringy way that it made me shiver awkwardly. "Pend Pals forever," I held out my wrist to show off the bracelet.

His nose wrinkled. "You're right, that is cliché."

"It's a bit camp, too," I whispered. "I'm glad we changed it… Uh, don't tell Shreya I said that."

He snickered, but then we were silent for a moment. "Right… well then…" I patted his shoulder a few times. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Bondin'," I whispered creepily.

He shook his head with a laugh and shoved me away. "Why don't we get back to work instead?" he picked up the jar of breath and handed it to me. "Just let it wash over the potion."

"Like in Nightmare Before Christmas," I nodded to myself as I uncorked the vial over the liquid. He looked at me curiously, but I ignored him. The potion turned from the bright boiling orange to a soft and thick green.

"Perfect," Beckett grinned. "That's precisely what it's supposed to do. In a few hours, it'll be ready. This was much easier than I expected."

"It's nice to have help, innit?" I smirked.

"Only when help is… capable," he looked me over.

I put one hand to my chest and fanned my face with the other. "Oh my. _The_ Beckett Harrington just called _me_ capable. I might just faint, I'm so honoured."

"Don't be ridiculous. You were merely competent. That's nothing to preen at," he sneered.

I gasped. "Oh, now I'm 'merely competent.' I must have done somethin' good I a past life for this moment of extasy."

He huffed, but it quickly turned into a laugh. Sadly, a quick as it'd showed itself, it disappeared, and he forced himself to look angry. "Whatever," he hissed. We sat in silence for a while, watching the potion bubble. My eyes kept getting drawn to the blue flames as they danced around the base of the pot. "So…," he started awkwardly, "you said you were 'found' earlier. What's that about?"

"You're interested in my personal life now?" I asked, honestly a bit impressed by his rapidly improving social skills.

"I'm trying to be serious," he huffed.

"Alright, sorry," I pulled one leg up and wrapped my arms around it. "I guess you and Zeph are the only ones that really know this, but… I'm adopted. My mum said she found me one night when I was barely a year old. All I had with me was this necklace and a name." Neither of us wanted to look at the other. It was a much sadder topic than I'd ever thought it was. "She raised me in Bristol. I went to school there all my life with the same kids, the same faces up to Uni. My mum, you know, she tried, and I loved my life, but I always felt like somethin' was missin'."

"Something like what?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I guess my birth parents, but I didn't really know them, so I don't really care. It's somethin' else. Somethin' I'm still tryin' to find."

"How do you know when your birthday is?" he looked sideways at me. "If you didn't have a birth certificate with you, did your mum just make one up?"

I shrugged. "Not sure, really. I guess it's the day she found me. I never asked." He put his hand on my shoulder after hesitating a few times. "What's that for?"

"I've come to the realisation that you don't have a family anymore," he said, looking sad for me. "I feel… sympathetic."

"New emotion for you, that?" I smirked, but he didn't smile. "You don't have to feel bad for me. I'm not sad about it. I had a good childhood and I'm at a magical school usin' magic I didn't even know I had. If anythin', I'm blessed."

"I think you have a complex," he finally smirked.

"This comin' from you," I shrugged off his hand and rocked my shoulder into his, "Mr. Perfectionist."

We talked and joked until the others got back, bearing gifts of sustenance. Beckett and I ate our fill, which was all of it, then the group gathered around the cauldron. The liquid was a minty green and looked smooth as silk. A single bubble found its way to the top and burst, letting out a bright light.

"It's ready," Beckett announced. "Now, you simply have to put the essence in the potion, and let it do the rest."

I pulled the rock out of my bag and held it out over the cauldron. "Well, here goes nothin'," I let it fall out of my hand into the potion.

After a moment of sitting, Beckett fished it out with the ladle. The essence was glowing bright red, like it had before I took it off of the floor. "Just as intended," he said. "Now remember, this will show you where the monster came from, so you need to absorb as much information as you can about the place." He held the ladle out to me, and I took the rock in my hands.

The second I touched it, my vision went white. I wish there was another way to go about the visions I kept having, but this seemed to be standard. I saw the Hall of Mirrors, clear as day, but it wasn't long before I was back in the Roost. I held my hand to my head. "I know where we have to go," I said, my gut not feeling up to the trip.

We rushed down to the Hall of Mirrors, but when we stepped inside, the room was empty. I wasn't sure what we were expecting would be in there, but it seemed shocking.

"This isn't suspicious or anything," Zeph mumbled, his eyes darting everywhere.

Griffin started looking around in the corners near the door and behind the standing mirrors. "Looks like the coast is clear. We're the only ones here."

"Do you think the potion was faulty?" I asked.

"Don't be absurd," Beckett piped up. "Of course it worked. I'd venture to guess that the source of the monsters is through one of these mirrors."

Shreya waved her hand in front of her. "No, that shouldn't be possible. The mirrors have protective wards on them. Nothing should be able to get through."

I stepped towards one of the full-length mirrors against the wall. My reflection was the guy from before, but he didn't seem threatening this time. He looked gutted. I cocked my head and reached my hand out to the glass. _If there are wards, this should be safe, right?_ When our hands met, the glass shattered, and I was pulled into the mirror the same way I had been back in Bristol. I struggled, but nothing I did helped. When my eyes finally cleared, I was in a strange place. The sky was red, the trees were black, and shadows were white… It looked oddly familiar, but I didn't know why.

"Wh-where am I?" I looked back at the mirror I'd just come through. I could see my friends, but they weren't responding to my gestures.

A loud roar shook the ground beneath me. I fell to my knees. When I looked behind me, a shadow monster… one so large and frightening that it shook my soul…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Smoke and Mirrors

_What do I do?! Where am I?! What is that thing?!_ I was on the ground, crawling backwards toward the mirror. The shadow that towered over me was over three metres tall and had long, curled horns like a minotaur. Its hands looked humanoid, but they were huge and the claw-like nails growing out of them were long and sharp. When it roared, the ground shook, making me unable to keep my footing every time I tried to get up. When I was pinned against a large, dark tree, the beast hurled itself at me. I barely managed to scramble out of the way before it hit the tree, uprooting it and sending it flying. It turned swiftly and swiped its large claw at me. I braced myself, expecting to be mauled, murdered, or worse. What's worse than being mauled or murdered, you ask? I was in a backwards world I'd travelled to via mirror and was being hunted by a Belrog. Take a guess.

"That's enough!" a bright light stunned the beast. I looked up and saw Swan leaning over me, her shining hand held out to the monster, blinding it.

"Professor! How-," I had so many questions.

"The mirror dimension was calling to me," she said in a rushed tone. "I knew you must have been in danger. You need to get out of here! Now!" she commanded.

"I tried!" I looked under her arm at the mirror before pulling myself to my feet. "It didn't work when I touched it!"

"Try again!" she shouted. I tried to make a run for it, but the beast let out a blood-curdling roar that didn't just shake the ground. It shook my core. I was frozen. "Percy! Move!" she shrieked as it rushed toward me. I was barely able to move, but I was able to throw myself behind a tree. The beast slammed into the ground where I'd been standing. When it realised it hadn't caught me, its head whipped around in search.

_This isn't happenin'. I can't believe this is happenin'._ I tried to stay as still as possible, but I was breathing sporadically. I could hear it sniff at the tree.

"Get away from him!" Swan yelled furiously, blasting it with another strong ray of light. The beast hissed and recoiled. "Go through that mirror! Quickly, now!"

I looked around the tree. I had a clear shot to the mirror. I made a run for it, but a rumble made me look over my shoulder. I dive-rolled out of the way to dodge the massive claw sweeping at me. When it missed, a whirlwind formed in the surrounding area, catching Swan in the ridiculously strong gusts. The tornado slammed into her, sucking her into its dark vortex.

"No!" I screamed. The beast's eyes met mine as it snarled. "Shit," I darted for the mirror, my fingers grazing it just before I felt the beast's presence over me. I emerged in Swan's office. I tried to stand up, but my leg was caught in the mirror still. I struggled to pull myself out. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" I reached for anything to try to pull me out, but the stacks of books just fell and hit my arms. Eventually, I got hold of the desk leg and pulled my foot through. I scrambled to my feet and made a B-line for the door.

"Are you alright there?" a student was out in the hallway, watching my struggle. "I heard someone shouting."

"Move! We have to get out of here, now!" I shouted at her and pushed her towards the door.

She looked at me like I was mad. "What are you-," she objected, but she was cut off by the leather armchair colliding with the wall next to our heads.

I looked back and saw a thick dark arm reaching through the mirror, failing about. She screamed and I pushed her out into the hall. "Run!" I barked, but she turned back, looking determined.

She held her hands out to the room and conjured a fireball, sending it flying at the mirror. "That should slow it down!" Sadly, she could not have been more mistaken. The fire was absorbed by the shadow and didn't seem to have any effect at all. "Or not?" she gasped. I took her arm and pushed her back out to the hall, but as I did so, the beast's hand snagged my ankle. I fell to the floor, hitting my face on the rug. As it dragged me back, she extended her hand to me. I grabbed her arm with both hands. "I've got you!"

"Don't let go! _Please_, don't let go!" I begged her as she started pulling me. The shadow's grip seemed to weaken. "It's workin'!"

She held her other arm up towards the mirror, making it bubble and re-sculpt itself. "Just a little-," she mumbled. A roar came from behind me and I saw the beast's head creep through the mirror. Suddenly, its grip intensified, and I was no longer being pulled by the girl. I looked back at her, but she was on the floor.

"Really?! You faint _now_?!" I shouted as I clawed the carpet, trying to keep myself from being dragged back into the mirror, but nothing helped. When my eyes finally adjusted, everything was backwards. I was in the mirror dimension again, but it had flipped from the previous time. The beast tossed me away from the mirror and I landed in the mud. I coughed, feeling a stabbing pain in my chest. I somehow managed to pull myself to my feet, my arm clutching my ribs. "I am so screwed," I laughed ironically as the beast began to trudge towards me. "Orien?!" I screamed.

My faithful companion appeared in front of me like he'd been waiting for me to call him. He was already growling at the monster, the spines on his back flaring up. The beast stopped when it saw him, hissing loudly. It charged at us and I was barely able to scoop Orien up and jump out of the way before it skidded through the mud and slid into another mirror I hadn't seen beforehand. Not that it would be useful, since it shattered upon impact.

"Any ideas, bud?" I asked Orien. He pointed his nose towards a mirror behind me. On the other side of the glass was a silver sword. "Genius," I said, putting him down and rushing for it. I reached my hand through the glass and pulled the sword off of the rock it'd been sitting on. It was a struggle getting it to come back with my arm through the mirror. "Come on!" With all the strength I could muster, I yanked on the hilt with both hands. I fell backwards, sword in hand. The ground shook as the monster approached. I stood up defensively, holding the sword out with both hands. As its claw swept at me again, I swung the blade, cutting straight through its arm. "Holy shit! This is ace!" I looked down at the blade, gobsmacked, as it began to glow. The arm turned to vaper and was sucked up by the sword. "What is this thing?!"

The creature let out a piercing shriek, holding its arm close to its body. I twirled the sword to get a better look at it while the beast was stunned, and when I did so, the shadows shot back out from it and slammed into the monster. It whimpered in pain. I looked up and saw its core glowing red in its chest. When it looked back at me, it hissed. The shadows making up its body spread thin and created a new arm as well as covering up the whole in its chest.

"That's not even fair!" I huffed. I turned around and ran as fast as I could, Orien on my heel. I looked back over my shoulder just in time to dodge a mirror it had thrown at me. It shattered when it hit the floor and Orien teleported out of the way. I spun around, seeing another about to hit my face. I dropped the sword and clapped my hands over my head. "Solis!" I screamed, and a bright light covered both of us, letting the mirror bounce off without a scratch. The beast slammed its fist on the ground and roared.

I grabbed the sword and Orien and ducked behind a large rock. _What do I do?!_ I hit my head against the rock, trying to maybe… whack and idea into my head. I peeked over the rock at the beast. Red smoke flickered out of his face as it took to all fours and charged at me. I stood up quickly and did a swift hand motion before thrusting both of my palms forward. The mirrors and trees closest to me splintered and shot like daggers at the creature. I did another motion for good measure. The shards of wood stabbed at the beast, distracting it as I sent an entire tree flying at it, hitting the creature like a club. It stumbled back, but it didn't last for long. _Does nothin' I do work?!_

I linked my index and middle fingers at my chest and concentrated on the trees around me. "Rethina!" I shouted, separating my fingers. A thick rope of resin appeared between them. With a flourish, I sent it flying at the monster. It circled around the beast like a lasso, bringing it tumbling to the ground. I let out a heavy sigh, thankful that _something_ finally worked. My relief was short lived, though. It couldn't move, but apparently it could still shoot shadow balls out of its mouth. I grabbed the sword just in time and swung it around, letting it absorb the shadows, but the gust of wind created by the sword knocked me off my feet. The beast began to crawl forward, slowly breaking its bonds. Orien leapt in front of me, landing in a puddle with a splash. He growled viciously at the beast. "No! You're not strong enough!" I called out to him, but he didn't listen.

The monster broke through the resin rope and swiped at my companion, throwing him off to the side. Orien whimpered and tried to stand up, but he was limping. He forced himself to his feet and hobbled back in front of me. "Orien! Stop!" I shouted, not wanting him to take any more damage. As I reached out to him, I noticed his reflection in the puddle didn't look much like him. It was bigger and stronger looking. The water ripped, seeming to glow. "Orien, get in the water!" I called to him. He looked at me curiously, but did as he was told. After a bright flash of light, he stood in front of me, three times the size and looking a hell of a lot scarier. His horns were longer and curved down by his face and the spines on his back were thicker and glistened with ice as his hackles rose. He snarled at the beast then whipped his tail quickly, sending icy spikes toward the thing. They shot through its shoulder, leaving a gaping hole. The beast shrieked. "Holy shit," I couldn't do anything but stare. "Good boy!" I praised and he woofed excitedly. I got to my feet and stood next to him. "I think we can do this now," I grinned, and he nodded. I could feel his magic coursing through me, stronger now than it was, and my hands began to glow with radiant light. I held my palms out to the beast and watched as the light began to engulf my whole body. The monster let out another cry of agony. "I think we got it," I said under my breath.

I was wrong. The beast lurched forward and hammer-fisted Orien. "Orien!" I screeched, kneeling down to try to help him up, but he was seriously injured. He whimpered and closed his eyes before disappearing into the ether. My eyes wouldn't leave the spot he'd just been. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. When I finally looked up, I could feel rage building up in my gut. The monster took a step toward me, but collapsed, its arm not recovering this time. I screamed at it and slammed my fists into the ground. The mud around its legs shot up like a geyser and solidified, locking it in place. When I approached it, sword in hand, ready to strike, the fire in its core died out and left behind nothing but empty smoke. I let the sword fall, but kept it clutched tightly in my hand. I was speechless, watching the body, but nothing happened. I let out a sigh and fell to my knees. I was _exhausted_. I took a few deep breaths before looking around. I needed to find my way back to Swan's office.

I picked myself up, using the sword as a crutch, and started back the way I came. As I walked passed the creature's husk, I could hear a breeze. When I looked up at it, the shadowy body had turned to vaper and was leaking out into the air. "What… is happenin'?" The vaper began to form a sphere, collecting every bit of the body below it. As it grew, it reshaped itself into an identical beast. It roared as it dropped to the ground, the red light renewed in its core. "You've got to be fuckin' kiddin' me!"

It grabbed at me, but I dodged. I could feel the rage returning, burning inside me. I held both hands out, making a diamond with my thumbs and index fingers. Light shot out of my hands and slammed into the new beast. It tried to lunge at me, but stumbled. It looked around like it was scared. I took the opportunity to try and be intimidating. I stepped forward and held my hand up threateningly. It screeched and sprinted in the opposite direction.

"Get back here!" I shouted as I chased after it. I wanted it dead. It had caused me so much trouble _and_ hurt, or killed, both Professor Swan and Orien. I had no idea about the status of either, and I was in such a blind rage that I couldn't take the time to think. I followed it to a clearing and saw it about to attack a figure near the tree line. I squinted and noticed that it was my reflection… only_ real_ this time. He was really there. The monster roared and the guy screamed as it tackled him. "Hey, you little shit!" I yelled, conjuring the biggest fireball I could muster and chucking it at the beast. "Get off of him!" The fire hit the beast and it recoiled, letting my doppelganger go. As it stumbled back into the clearing, I ran around it to help him up. "Are you okay?" I asked, extending my hand.

He scrambled to his feet, not taking my hand and not taking his eyes off to the beast for a second. "It's wounded, but not done yet. Brace yourself," he glared at it.

"Er, are you good?" I asked again, unable to tell if he was injured.

"Save it! We still have work to do!" he hissed. The monster got back onto its feet and two cyclones appeared in its hands. The wind around us began to howl loudly. I could feel myself being sucked in as several mirrors, rocks, and tree limbs flew passed us. "We have to work together!" he shouted over the wind. "I need you to channel your magic into the ground and make a downward slice," he demonstrated by chopping at the air, "then say 'consume'!"

I put all my weight into my feet to ground myself and did as he'd instructed. I sliced my hand down, my pinkie nearly hitting the ground, and shouted, "Consume!" The ground opened up in front of me, creating a wide fissure under the beast. It screeched as it fell down into the abyss. As quickly as it'd opened, the crack closed up, leaving no trace of its existence. "Is… is that it? Did we do it?" I panted. Just passed the point where the beast had been, stood an old man with long white hair. I was going to say something, but a thud next to me grabbed my attention. My doppelganger had collapsed. I knelt next to him. "Hey, wake up!" I shook his shoulders. _Is he hurt?_ Out in the opening, a large shadow ball appeared. _Not again…_ Professor Swan fell out of it before it closed and disappeared. "Professor! You're alive!"

"Yes," she seemed just as shocked as I was. "It seems like that void didn't like me very much… but you're okay!" she rushed over to me. "I was beginning to fear the worst! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Perseus. That creature… it was much stronger than I anticipated. It caught me by surprise."

"Speakin' of surprises," I gestured to the guy in front of me, trying to draw her attention to the injured man down.

"Oh my goodness! Atlas!" she rushed to his side and propped his head up on her lap.

"You know him?!" I blurted out.

"Of course I do!" she brushed the white hair off of his forehead, analysing his situation.

"How?!" was the obvious follow-up question.

She looked like a mother who'd just found her injured child. "When you mentioned a reflection, I thought maybe he was checking in, but I didn't realise he was trapped here," she looked like she was about to cry. "Oh dear…" She checked his pulse then breathed a sigh of relief. "Seems like he's just unconscious." She shook her head then turned back to me. "Let's get out of here."

I hoisted him onto my shoulders and followed her back to the mirror. He was oddly light weight for someone his size. We stepped through to her office and I set him down in the blue armchair. Swan lifted her hands to the mirror and did a series of complicated gestures.

"What are you doin'?" I asked.

"Putting the wards back up," she explained. "I had to take them down to get to you. We don't want anything coming through… again." After a few more circles with her hand, she nodded to herself and turned around, looking over her office. "What happened here?"

"That thing chased me through the mirror and dragged me back in. Made a bit of a mess in the process," I told her.

She shrugged it off and looked me over, her hands on my shoulders. "It looks like you came out of that fight looking alright. Just a couple bumps and bruises, but that's to be expected. No permanent damage, though. It seems all that training paid off," she grinned weakly.

"I'm honestly surprised I'm not dead," I stared blankly back at her. "So… can we talk about the elephant in the room?" I asked, looking down at the guy next to me.

"Absolutely," she nodded, pointing at the unconscious girl on the floor. "Who is that and did you kill her?"

"What? No, I didn't kill her!" I looked between her and the girl, confused on how she even jumped to that conclusion. "She just fainted. She was tryin' to help me before…," I shook my head and looked back at Swan. "What I was actually talkin' about was this guy," I pointed to him again. "Who the hell is he?"

Swan crossed the room, daintily stepping over the scattered books and pieces of shattered armchair on her way to the girl. She gently rolled her out of the office and closed the door, wiping her hands on her shirt as she turned back to me. Normally, I would have made a comment about that, but I was too shocked to deal with any form of humour at that point. "Oh, that...," she avoided my eyes. "I admit, I knew more about your situation than I originally let on," she started. _No shit!_ "But I could tell you weren't ready, so… I lied."

"Who are you to judge that for me?" I snapped.

"I promise, I only did it to try and keep you safe!" she held up her hands in surrender.

I scoffed and turned away, running a hand through my hair. "Everyone seems to think lyin' to me is the only way to keep me safe. _News flash_, it hasn't in the slightest."

"There are so many things you don't understand, Perseus. I didn't want you to get dragged into it all," she said sorrowfully.

I laughed. "Right, because that worked."

"I knew when you showed up here that something was wrong, but I wanted you to have a chance to be happy," she said. "I guess I didn't do a great job."

"Wait," I turned back around. "That means I wasn't supposed to be here? How would you know that? How could you possibly know that?" _How am I supposed to trust anyone now?!_

"It's a long story," my doppelganger groaned and leaned forward, holding his head in his hands. "You don't have to trust her, but you should trust me," he said as if he was reading my thoughts.

I laughed again. "You… You're jokin', right? Every time _you_ show up, I get attacked by somethin' tryin' to kill me!"

"That's exactly what I've been trying to warn you about!" he shouted up at me. "I'm the one who's been protecting you from the beginning!"

"Warn me? By writin' 'blood' in the mirror? You couldn't have been more specific? You had that entire mirror to write on," I retorted. "And why would you protect me? Who _are_ you?"

"Look, I didn't have a lot of time for that one," he scoffed then held up his hand, shaking his head. "You really don't get it, do you?" He stood up right in front of me, eyeing my face. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a torn photograph, holding it up for me to see. "I'm your twin, dumbass."

I took the photo from his hand and stared down at it. There was a woman holding a baby boy. On his left arm was a crescent moon shaped birthmark.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Double Double

"Twin?!" I said when he'd snatched the picture back from me. "I don't have a twin. I don't even have siblings!" I ran my hand through my hair again, not knowing how to take in any of the information I'd just learnt.

"Weren't you listening to anything I _just_ said?" he scowled. It was like looking into a mirror… Even his facial expressions matched mine. There was a silence as the two of us glared at each other, both frustrated with the other.

"Well!" Swan turned on her heel and headed to the back corner of her office. "I see you two have a lot to catch up on. I'll just make some tea, shall I? And maybe something stronger for myself," she mumbled the last part.

Finally, I let out a breath I'd been holding. "Okay, I believe you."

"You do?" he seemed shocked.

I nodded and shook my head at the same time. "Yeah, sure, why not? Really, it's the only thing that makes sense." Swan held two teacups out to us. I took mine, but Atlas stole the whiskey from her desk and downed it in one go. I set the cup on the desk. "I don't think this is the time for tea," I said sharply, going against every English bone in my body… Was I even English? Atlas sounded American… "I have so many questions." Swan busied herself behind her desk, leaving my _brother_ and I to talk things out. "If you were tryin' to warn me, why were you actin' so creepy about it?" I asked, finally getting my thoughts together.

"I wasn't being creepy, I was trying to get you to let me out!" he crossed his arms.

"Let you out?" I shook my head, not understanding.

"Yeah," he was still agitated. Honestly, we both were. "I got stuck in there _months_ ago trying to save your dumb ass." His eyes softened a bit, but his scowl remained.

"Oh, Atlas," Swan frowned at him sympathetically.

"Save me? From what?" I asked, thinking that _months_ ago I was still in Bristol, completely ignorant of magic.

He sneered. "From that self-aggrandising sod that calls himself _The Dread_."

"That Raife guy?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'm surprised you know his true name."

"Perseus has been studying hard while he's been here," Swan told him. "I'm glad something stuck, though, I had hoped he would focus more on his _school_work than a subject I specifically asked him not to look into," she scolded me.

I shrugged defensively. "It's comin' in handy, innit? I read about this guy. He murdered a ton of kids."

"It wasn't kids, Percy. It was twins. Hundreds of them," Atlas informed me.

"Buy why?" I squinted at him, trying to imagine any reason to kill a bunch of ankle-biters. I mean, kids could be annoying, but how mad would you have to murder hundreds of babies?

"Because he was looking for us," he explained. "And he wants to kill us."

"This is unreal," I shook my head in disbelief. _Why us specifically? What did we ever do? Were we special somehow? Was there something he needed us for? _ A thousand questions raced around my head. This was too much information.

"Yeah, well you didn't think magic was real either up until a few months ago," he snapped.

"It's not like that's _my_ fault! I was raised without magic!" I snapped back.

"Atlas, that's enough!" Swan narrowed her eyes at him. "He's… He's not ready!"

"And whose fault is that?!" he hissed at her. "The Miller family _knew_ this day would come! It was their job to prepare him, like my caregivers did me."

My mind was reeling. _Miller family? I thought it was just my mum… Was there supposed to be someone else? What does he mean?_ "My… my mum's dead," I said softly, catching both of their eyes. They looked utterly shocked. "I mean… my _caregiver_," I hated correcting it, but I had to think about my birth mother and how Atlas might misunderstand. "She died a few years ago."

"What about her husband?" he asked.

I started at him questioningly. "I… don't… She wasn't married," I said. They shared an anxious look. "What was she supposed to be preparin' me for?"

"For the fight to come, of course," he answered. "Our birth parents separated us to keep us safe. Our caregivers were supposed to keep us hidden." His irritation returned. "Now, Raife knows where we are, and he knows we're together. Our time is up, and _you_ have no idea what's coming." He stepped forward and put his hand on my cheek, his fingers cold as ice.

I moved out of his reach. "What are you doin'?"

He sighed, his features untightening a bit. "It's a Moon spell. It'll allow me to share my memories with you."

"Atlas!" Swan held out her hand to stop him. "You still need to recover. You're not strong enough to do this right now."

"He needs to see what we're dealing with here," he snapped.

I looked between the two of them. "He's right. I have no clue what's goin' on and this seems like the fastest way to understand." Swan sighed and nodded reluctantly. Atlas put his hand on my cheek and closed his eyes.

"Perseus, close your eyes," Swan instructed. "This will feel fairly real, but remember that you are perfectly safe." I closed my eyes, and everything went dark.

_I was up in a tall tree, looking down on a caravan of creatures and Attuned wearing dark robes. They were all carrying building materials to a weathered old castle on the nearby hill. _

_"__I don't know why we have to help. We should be up at the castle sitting pretty right about now," one of the gruntmen whined._

_"__You know those things need direction," a woman gestured to the shadow creatures ahead of them. "And you also know the boss doesn't like to hear that kind of talk, so shut up and do as you're told."_

_The man grumbled and raised his hand, effortlessly lifting a massive tree trunk into the air. _He's already built his machine, so what's all this for?_ I squinted, trying to get a better look at the caravan. "All I'm saying is, we better get what we're owed."_

_"__And you shall," a voice echoed through the night. I recognised it and felt a chill run down my spine. Raife was walking down the pathway toward the two lackies. "You know what they say. If you have time to complain, you have time to work. Or maybe you need a little supervision of your own," his voice was gruff and threatening. He held an essence up in his hand and tossed it into the air. Before it hit the ground, a huge shadow beast emerged from the stone. _

_"__N-no, sir!" the man took a step back. "No, I was just telling Sofia how I can't wait to see you ascend to your rightful place, sir," he panicked._

_"__Hm. Rest assured, we will all have our comeuppance," Raife said. "We will all have the power we were denied by earthly limitations, but first, we put in the work." His voice seemed twisted as he grinned, looking insane. _

_"__Sir, not to question your brilliance and wisdom," the woman said, "but all of this work is for nothing if we don't get those twins, right?"_

_"__Not to fret. The eldest has made a mistake. We were finally able to track him through his college applications," he said. "He's at some Attuneless institution in an English town called Bristol. He won't be hard to find." _Percy! I have to get to him first!

_"__And the other one, sir? Atlas?" the man added._

_Raife grinned again. "Ah, Atlas. Well, I'd imagine he's closer than we think." He turned and looked through the treetops, staring right at me through my invisibility ward._ Shit!_ "You can come out now, child. There's no need to hide." _I can't be caught right now!_ I jumped out of the tree, headed straight for the ground. I used the wind to set me down gently before sprinting back toward my camp. I needed the mirror… "Tsk, tsk. Always running," his voice followed me and a ghost like image of him appeared before me. "Fetch, my pet." _No, no!_ I tried to run faster, hearing the angry scream of Raife's shadow pet. I could hear it crunching trees behind me._

_"__Come on, Atlas! Pick up the pace!" I yelled at myself. I intertwined my fingers as I ran, casting an Air spell to propel me forward. I looked over my shoulder. The boost didn't seem to help. The beast was right on my tail. _

_Raife's disembodied head appeared in front of me, laughing. I ran through the projection. "Why don't you just give up, child?" His laugh echoed all around me as I ran through the underbrush to get to my camp, but all my stuff was gone. "Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide."_

_"__That's what you think," I muttered, pulling a compact mirror out of my pocket. I looked up at the moon and aligned the mirror with the moonlight. The light was reflected onto the tree next to me, creating a circle of light. I blew on the mirror, making the circle brighter. I could hear the beast getting closer. I didn't have time. I rushed toward the tree and began drawing a circle around the light in the bark, making my fingers bleed as I dug my nails into it. _Come on, come on, come on!_ When I finished the circle, I took a step back and pressed my palms together. I pulled them back then thrust them towards the tree. "Open!" As the Sun magic left my hands, I tripped forward, completely out of energy. _

_"__Fool! You've weakened yourself!" Raife's voice echoed._

_"__Yeah," I smirked, "but it worked." I pulled myself into the portal I'd just created and dropped into the mirror dimension. I was so drained that I just laid there for a minute. "I can't believe I made it," I groaned, but laughed a bit, relieved. A loud growl got my attention and I realised that the portal was still open. The beast was clawing its way in. "Give me a break!" I stumbled to my feet and hobbled for a mirror several feet away, my vision starting to blur. The creature behind me managed to tear through the portal, but it cried in pain as it did so. It roared, shaking the ground. I tripped and fell into a pool of black water, seeing my scratched and muddy face in my reflection. "Come on, get up! Keep moving!" I drug myself through the mud, pulling myself toward the mirror. "Just… a little… further!"_

_The beast crashed into the trees behind me. I rolled onto my back, looking for a way to defend myself. I threw up my hands, letting a surge of energy escape from my palms. "Yueguang Trabem!" I shouted. The shadow screamed and vanished into wisps of smoke as the essence fell to the floor. "I… did… it," I grinned before blacking out._

Sudden nausea caused me to lean back against the bookshelf. "I feel sick," I groaned.

"That's to be expected," Atlas said. "It'll pass."

"He… He almost had you! And that shadow thing… You're fingers…," I tried to piece together what I'd seen. _Wait… I've seen that before…_ I remembered my dream from months ago. It was the first time I'd seen my odd reflection… _Was that the day he got stuck?_

He shrugged. "That old creep has been trying to catch me for years."

"I don't understand. What do we do now?" I asked, finally able to stand up straight.

"Now," Swan piped in, "you go back to your room and keep Atlas out of sight until I can figure out what to do about this mess!"

"That's it? But-," I objected.

She put her hand up, stopping me. "Please, Perseus. I know this is a lot to process, and I know you have more questions, but it's my duty to keep you safe," she said sternly. Then she turned to Atlas. "The both of you. Please, let me do that."

Atlas stared at her for a while, but nodded curtly. "Fine."

"Sure, that's all well and good, but in case you hadn't noticed, Atlas has my face," I said. They both raised their eyebrows at me until I expanded on my thought process. "People are goin' to notice that I suddenly have a twin brother runnin' around."

"Ah, I've got just the solution for that," Swan beamed. "I can put an illusion over him that will make him invisible to everyone except you, Perseus. It only lasts for thirty minutes, though, so you'll have to go straight back to your dorm room. Don't stop for anything," she looked between us until we both nodded. Then she stepped close to him and made pinching motions in the air around him. Each point left a crease of rainbow light.

"Is it… workin'? What are those lights?" I asked. Atlas walked over to the mirror, but showed no reflection. I chuckled. "Awesome. You're a vampire." He rolled his eyes and groaned. When Swan didn't seem to have anything else to add, he turned for the door. "I guess we're leavin' now."

"Before you go," she frowned at me. "I know Atlas has a lot of hard edges, but he's your brother, and he did a lot to keep you safe and shield you from the evils out there. Just remember that while I try to get this all sorted out. I suspect living with him in close quarters is going to get a bit… tiresome."

I pursed my lips. "I get the feelin' you're right. I'll keep it in mind," I smiled weakly before following him out into the hall. He was leaning against the wall, drumming his fingers against his arm.

"Finally. I need you to show me the Hall of Mirrors. The entrance on your end, of course, not the mirror I came through," he said, standing up straight and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Er, I don't think we should do that. We're kind of on a time crunch," I argued.

"You do realise our lives are on the line here, right?" he hissed. "Trust me, I know that better than Swan does."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll show you, but you need to chill. You may be invisible, but the whole school can still hear you."

"Fine. Your turf, your rules," he agreed.

I nodded and started off toward the hall. "What exactly are you expectin' to find there anyway?" I asked quietly as we turned the corner.

"You don't think it's suspicious that I've been banging on the other side of that glass for months, but _now_ I'm suddenly able to get through?" he asked. "If that's a coincidence, I'll eat a skizditch whole."

I thought for a second. "Come to think of it, when I first got pulled through, I couldn't get back either. It wasn't until Swan let down the wards that I was able to get back in." As we rounded the corner, I stopped and backed up, grabbing him by the collar and shoving him against the wall.

"Excuse you?" he hissed.

"Shush!" I whispered lowly, peeking around the corner quickly to confirm what I saw. "Professor Englund is guardin' the door. Looks like we'll have to come back later."

He shrugged me off of him and started around the corner. I grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him back again. "You touch my jacket one more time, I swear…," he threatened.

"Shut up!" I whispered harshly. "What was your plan here? You know you're effectively an _intruder_, right? I don't know if you've heard, but intruders get vaporised here."

"Yeah, I'm also currently invisible," he rolled his eyes. "You can talk to him. Ask him my questions for me. He's got to know something that can help us," he pushed me forward. I tentatively turned the corner and approached my professor.

"Percy! One of my star students," he greeted me. "If this is about your homework, we'll have to chat later. Students aren't allowed down this hall for the time being."

"Oh. Is that so? Why's that?" I tried to act ignorant, but my usual coolness was crushed by my aggressive twin standing next to me.

"You haven't heard?" Englund's jaw dropped. "I thought it'd be all around school by now. I'm not really supposed to talk about it."

I shrugged. "If the whole school already knows, why is it a secret? What could you tell me that I couldn't go find out from some random kid?"

He looked around nervously. "I guess you make a fair point… Well, if anyone asks, you heard it from the old rumour mill, but it appears that someone has vandalised the mirror room."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What? Vandalised the Hall of Mirrors? Who would do such a thing?"

"Laying it on a bit thick there," Atlas whispered behind me. It took everything in my power not to roll my eyes.

"That's all we know at the moment," he frowned. "The dean is currently busy attending to other matters, but she'll be down to check the sentry recordings as soon as she's finished," he pointed to a suit of armour against the wall.

"That's all? But what about-," I started, but he shook his head.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Percy. Now, please, I need you to keep this hallway clear," he pushed me back down the hall.

I let out a sigh as we turned the corner. "Well, that was a total waste of time."

"Not entirely," Atlas walked over toward the sentry near the main door in the foyer. "These sentries act like Tuneless video cameras. We may not be able to see inside the mirror room, but we can at least see the aftermath."

"Well, that's interesting… and useful," I looked the suit of armour up and down, impressed.

"Considering we know absolutely nothing, I don't see how it could hurt," he said. "We should have enough time before Swan's spell wears off."

"Sounds fun," I nodded.

"I'm _so_ glad you've got your priorities straight," he rolled his eyes. I walked up to the sentry, not sure what to do. "Don't just stand there. Ask it a question."

"Er… Sentry, please tell us what happened in the mirror room," I asked politely. There was a long silence as we anticipated its reply, but none came.

"Fantastic," Atlas groaned.

I smirked. "I have an idea," I put my hand on the sentry's metal shoulder and stared into the helm. "Would you mind tellin' us what happened in the Hall of Mirrors?" The inside of the armour began to glow, and the helmet rattled as the suit came to life.

"Did you just use a Moon spell?" Atlas' jaw was hanging down. I smirked again proudly. "I can't believe that worked."

A voiced echoed out of the hollow armour as it spoke. "Demonstrate thine knowledge and I will do so in kind. Search the crest of Penderghast past and what dost thou find? Before the Dryxmar came a creature most powerful and fierce. Speak forth its name and my defences you will pierce."

Atlas groaned. "I hate riddles," he crossed his arms.

"Ouroboros," I told the armour as it awaited my response.

"You knew that?" Atlas seemed surprised for a second time.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'm not a complete git."

"I just didn't think you would, being new to magic and all," he shrugged defensively.

"You don't have to be magic to read," I stated bluntly.

The armour accepted my answer when we were finally silent. "You are correct. Now, see through the eyes of another," it said, the light where eyes would have been becoming increasingly luminous until all I could see was white.

_My friends and I were in the hallway outside of the Hall of Mirrors. Percy had just disappeared. We were panicking as we brushed the shattered glass from our clothes and checked on one another. Luckily, no-one was hurt more than just a scratch._

_"__What happened in there?!" Griffin turned in the doorway, completely stunned. "How are we supposed to go after him if all the mirrors are broken?"_

_"__Why did the mirrors shatter in the first place?!" Shreya asked. "Was it because of the shadow monsters?"_

_"__Never mind why they shattered! Why did Percy fall through the mirror like that?" Beckett was pacing back and forth in the same five-foot stretch of hallway. _

_I had to do something. They needed to calm down and focus. "Guys, relax. I'm sure Percy's got that big ol' monster in a headlock by now," I tried, but the response was less than desired._

_"__You can't just assume that, Zephyr!" Beckett hissed at me. "This is serious. Percy needs our help!"_

_I sighed. "Come on, Beckett. You know him as well as I do. You saw how quickly he picked up on all this magic stuff."_

_Beckett finally stopped, his arms crossing in front of him as he rubbed his elbow. "That… That may be, but…," he stuttered._

_"__If any of us is gonna fall int an alternate dimension and survive, it's Percy. Kind of already happened once, if you think about it," I said. "We need to put our trust in him, and _then_ we can think about what to do to help."_

_Shreya nodded. "Zeph's right. If anyone can get himself out of this mess under his own power, it's Percy."_

_"__What do you think we should do?" I asked her. _

_"__I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going to leave Percy wandering around god knows where. There's _got_ to be another way in," she said. "We just have to find it."_

_"__Maybe, but I doubt us students could access-," Griffin started, but Shreya held up her hand and closed it, telling him to shut up._

_"__I'm sorry, I don't think you understood me," she glared at him. "Let me say this slowly this time. I. Am. Not. Leaving. Percy. Alone," she clapped between each word._

_I frowned. "Shreya, Perc wouldn't want us to do anything reckless."_

_"__You guys can do whatever you want," she hissed, turning to me. "If being reckless means saving him then I'm gonna be the most reckless woman in Penderghast history!"_

_"__I think we should go to one of the professors and tell them what happened," Griffin suggested. "They'll know what to do."_

_"__That is a _terrible_ idea!" Beckett shouted, seeming extremely out of character. "What if they ask us how it happened? We can't give them a reason, and we're just students. They could end up blaming _us_," he glared between us. "They'll find out about the room on their own, so let them. We're all safer that way."_

_"__I don't think the professors would-," I started, but the suit of armour next to me began to move, catching us all off guard._

_"__The sentries!" Griffin exclaimed. "They see everything that goes on here. They _must_ know what happened in the mirror room!"_

_"__Which means they might know what happened to Percy!" Shreya agreed._

_I turned to the knight. "Hey, sentry, why did all the mirrors shatter like that?" I asked._

_"__We know not why the mirrors shattered, but when opposing powers meet on the bridges between worlds, those bridges collapse," it replied._

_"__Well, it heard us, but… what the heck did any of that mean?" I turned to the rest of the group._

_"__Your guess is as good as mine," Griffin shook his head. "The sentries are enchanted to give answers, but not necessarily clear ones."_

_"__Everyone, if you could return to your dorms, please!" Professor Englund's voice bounced off the stone walls as he rounded the corner. "This hallway is off limits for the time being!"_

_We all looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Beckett spoke up first. "We should get out of here. If we get caught and detained, we lose time looking for Percy." Without waiting for the rest of us, he turned on his heel and trudged off down the hall. The rest of us glanced at each other, not knowing what to do, before following after him._

"That is all there is to see," the sentry's voice echoed in front of me.

My head was spinning. I was starting to get sick of visions… "I can't see so well right now, but thank you. That was helpful." I turned to usher Atlas out of the foyer when I noticed the rainbow lights around him flickering. At first, I thought it was just the green and purple spots I was seeing for the second time that evening, but then I realised it wasn't. "Time's up, we have to go!" I pushed him toward the exit, but the doors swung open just as we reached them. Without a second thought, I shoved Atlas behind the suit of armour. Its head turned towards me with a loud screech. "Both of you… just… shush!" I held my finger to my lips. As two students started toward the stairs, I leaned against the wall, casually picking at my fingers. They didn't seem to notice me at all as they went about their conversation. "Alright, they're gone. We have to go."

Atlas peered around the armour before stepping out behind me. "Quick thinking," he muttered. We ran down the stairs to the central courtyard of the school. Luckily, the cover of nightfall gave us an edge up on sneaking.

"My dorm is that buildin' there," I pointed across the way.

"Why don't we just book it?" he asked. We were hiding near the bushes behind the upperclassmen dorm, staring at our target.

"You see that statue?" I jerked my head at the giant lady with the swivelling head. "Remember what I said about intruders bein' vaporised?" I asked. "That." Her eyes shined like a lighthouse around the campus.

"Oh, I get it," he nodded to himself. "When I say run, _run_," he ordered before jumping out of the bush and patting himself down. He took a casual step to the side, leaving a remnant of himself where he'd been previously standing. He pushed the copy forward in the opposite direction from where we needed to go then darted off across the courtyard.

"You didn't say run!" I scrambled after him.

"I thought it was implied. Keep up!" he shouted back at me.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the lady's gaze completely fixed on the clone. When I looked back, I had to jump quickly. I'd nearly ran right into a flowerbed filled with tinkling tinnies. They would have given us away in a second, since their buds were actual bells. _Shit, that was close! _We sprinted up the hill, but I stopped him before we entered the building. I knew the R.A. would be at her desk. We had to sneak passed her. I looked at Atlas before opening the door. The lights around him were flickering rapidly. It was now or never. "Listen up," I said, hand on the handle. "You need to sneak passed the girl at the desk then take a right at the hallway. It's a straight shot to my room from there."

"Got it. Say no more," he nodded and did a quick hand motion, making a cracking sound as sparks flew from his knuckles.

"The bloody hell are you doin'?!" I whispered.

"Knocking her out," he looked at me like it was obvious.

I slapped his hands down. "You git! We don't need to hurt her! The bloody hell is wrong with you?" I shook my head. "I'll go distract her and you will _sneak_ around to the hallway, yes? My turf, my rules, you said?" He shrugged silently. "Bloody hell," I mumbled under my breath as I swung the door open. "Hiya, Becca," I grinned and leaned on the desk.

She beamed up at me. "Hello, Percy. What can I do for you?" she asked sweetly.

I saw Atlas slip behind a planter out of the corner of my eye. The leaves reached for him, you know, since all the plants are magic and alive. He swatted at them, flailing around like an idiot. "I wanted to know if you'd seen _that_," I said, gesturing to the painting behind the desk. As soon as she turned around, Atlas sprung up and darted for the hall, his footsteps not making a sound.

"Uh, you mean the portrait of Celestina Qu'itvitsits that's been hanging here all semester?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Right!" I grinned and snapped my fingers. "That's her name. I'd completely forgotten it. Hey, are you hangin' out with Griffin this weekend?" I asked, trying to play it off.

She blushed and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. What about you? Any plans?"

I shrugged. "You know me, always findin' _somethin'_ to do," I chuckled. "I might practice that cymitar a bit more," I lied. "Speakin' of, I've got to jet," I glanced at the hall where Atlas was impatiently tapping his fingers.

"Oh, alright. Goodnight, Percy," she said.

I turned to leave, waving over my shoulder. "You, too. Cheers."

The common area was empty, thank god. I sighed heavily and dropped over the arm of the sofa onto the cushions. "Blimy, that was _way_ too close."

Atlas crossed his arms and leaned his leg against the other side of the couch, towering above me when I opened my eyes. "Actually, you handled yourself pretty well. Maybe I don't need to worry about you as much as I thought," he said, but before I could respond, he changed the subject. "Now that we're alone, we have to talk about-," he started, but suddenly turned his head to the door. "Do you hear that?"

I strained my ears to listen and heard Shreya's voice coming from the hall. "Well, that's it. Percy's not anywhere on campus… That mirror must have taken him somewhere else entirely."

"The way the glass shattered, I've never seen anything like it," Beckett was there, too.

"Shit!" I shot up from the couch and pushed Atlas toward the magic door with a million handles. "My room, quick!" I turned the lowest handle and shoved my way into the room, but before he could follow me…

"Percy?!" Shreya froze in place, dropping her bag. I hid behind the door, watching through the crack. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere!" Atlas looked panicked, his eyes darting to where I was.

"Just go with it," I mouthed.

Shreya dove at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Y-yes. I am Percy. Your _friend_," he said with the most piss poor attempt at an English accent I'd ever heard in my life. _Dear god…_ His eye twitched as he attempted to smile. I had to pinch myself as not to laugh.

"What happened to your hair?" Zeph asked, rushing over and touching Atlas' straighter, brighter hair. Mine was white, too, but the tips were naturally a light lavender, and it curled. His was straight and solid white. _I have to help him_. I tried so hard not to snicker while his eyes shot daggers at Zeph.

"Laugh it off," I mouthed.

He stared at me for a second, his eyebrows furrowing, but the fake smile still trying to hold itself. "Uh… Ha! That's so funny… you. That's just like… you. Always crackin' jokes," he was terrible at this.

"Well, he recognises my comedic genius, so he must be alright," Zeph grinned. _Oh, come on! _ I put my hand to my face, disappointed in my best mate.

"Never mind all that!" Beckett charged forward. "Where have you been? The Hall of Mirrors was completely destroyed, and you were just gone!" he seemed more panicked than I'd ever seen him. _Awe, he does care_.

"Yeah, where did that mirror take you?" Shreya finally pulled away from him and looked up with worry in her eyes. "We looked all over campus!"

He suddenly seemed to compose himself. "It… it took me to Penn Square. I don't know what went wrong, but it dropped me right into a dumpster." I sighed. _Skip bin… I'd never say 'dumpster,' you uncultured…_ "I tried a spell to clean off, but somethin' went wrong and it did this to my hair," he said. "Guess I'll have Swan fix it tomorrow."

"Oh, no need," Beckett raised his hand to Atlas. "That's just a simple transmutation spell. I can quite easily-"

"You touch my hair, and I'll punch the eyebrows right off your face," Atlas hissed, fake accent gone. The room was dead silent. I hid my face in my hands, unable to watch this disaster of a performance. "Sorry," he said quickly. "I've just had a long day. I'd like to just go to bed," he tried to add the shitty accent again.

"Oh, well, of course," Shreya frowned, running her hand down his arm. "We're just… glad you're safe. I guess we should all go off to bed, hm?" I could hear her voice crack.

"Thanks. All of you," Atlas said kindly.

Zeph and Beckett turned to leave, looking dejected, but Shreya threw her arms around him one more time. "Oh god, I'm just so relieved! We've been looking everywhere for you, and, you know me, I'm a faithful optimist but even I was starting to get concerned," she cried. "Of course, I was right all along," she smiled through her tears. "I knew whatever happened to you, you'd come out of it just fine, and here you are!"

"Yeah, here I am," Atlas wrapped an arm around her and patted her back.

She held him at arm's length and wiped at her face with her sleeve. "Percy, I'm so, so glad you're alright. Really. I couldn't imagine not having you around."

"Thanks…," he was starting to get awkward again. When she finally left with Beckett and Zeph, he bolted into the room and shut the door hastily, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Your friends talk _so_ much. No wonder you're so behind in your studies." I couldn't hold it anymore. I erupted into laughter, falling to my knees. "Shut up! They'll hear us!"

"No! They won't! Magic door!" I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. "You're terrible with people."

"Your friends are strange. Did you see the way the loud, bright one looked at me? It was odd," he shifted uncomfortably.

I pulled myself together and took a deep breath. "What's odd is your description of people. My friends are just nice." Before I could continue winding him up, a knock came from the door. Atlas hid behind the desk as I answered. "Beckett," I greeted. _He's the only one who knocks._

"Eh, hello. Hi. It's… me… again," he fidgeted.

"I can see that," I smirked.

"You fixed your hair," he pointed out.

"Er, yeah," I ran a hand through my wonderfully wavy locks. "It just… turned itself back…" He looked around awkwardly, not saying anything. I looked him over, noticing how unkempt he looked. I stepped out of my room, closing the door behind me. "Let's sit," I gestured to the couch.

He awkwardly followed me, but didn't sit. "I'm… I just wanted to make sure, again, that you were okay. I…," he paused. "I'm at a loss here. When you vanished like that I felt like I should have been able to do more, but I couldn't, and I-," he let his body fall onto the couch next to me, leaning forward on his knees and scrunching his hair in his hands.

"Mate, I've never seen you this shaken up. Not even over an exam," I pointed out. "I'm fine, Beckett. See?" I took his hands and forced him to pat my face. I expected him to give me that awkward look he always gave me when I did something he didn't expect, but he didn't.

He laughed, but it sounded forced. He took his hands back and stared down at them. "I know it's late, but… do you want to talk? Just for a little while? I know you said you're okay, but I feel like I have to make sure."

"Er, now isn't really the best time," I hesitated.

He eyed me, suddenly looking panicked. "You're hurt!" he held my arm up. I was covered in cuts from the broken glass and being thrown into rocks. I hadn't noticed until he'd pointed it out. Adrenaline, I suppose. "I can help with that! I know a spell that'll remove the glass quite painlessly."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about this," I pulled a small piece out of my elbow, trying not to grimace. "I'll just go to the nurse tomorrow."

He frowned. "But… I can help. I _have_ to help. Please, Percy."

I sighed and gave him a soft smile. "Alright. If it'll keep you from lookin' this depressed."

He looked down at himself and tried to straighten his blazer, but it was a fruitless task. "I must look like a complete mess," he chuckled. "Bet it's pretty amusing, seeing the posh Beckett Harrington off his game."

I scoffed playfully. "It's not if you make fun of yourself. Leave the insults to me. Self-deprivation doesn't suit you."

"Have a go, then," he smiled weakly.

I looked at him seriously. "You're a walkin' disaster, a complete and utter wreck."

"Gee, thanks," he looked put off, but a real smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

"I mean it. Your look is in shambles. Your hair is all over the place, and your blazer… is that a crease?" I pointed to his collar. He looked down sharply and tried to straighten himself out, but then laughed. As I smirked, I looked down at my arm. I really did have a lot of cuts. I only saw the one large piece of glass, but I wondered how many tiny pieces got stuck in my skin. "I'm actually surprised you're so concerned, considerin' how hard you've tried to hate me."

"I don't hate you, Percy," his eyes shot back up to me. "I admit that when I first heard about you, I was jealous. More so when I realised your formal training was quite lacking… I lashed out," he said sombrely. "I worked so hard to be the best, and it didn't matter. I thought with you attending, I'd have no chance of being top of the class."

"And you were right," I joked. He pursed his lips. "Look, Beckett, I never meant for you to feel that way."

"Of course you didn't," he forced a smile again. "You… were my first friend here. You took me in when no-one else did."

"Now you just sound like an orphaned pup," I teased, but he was unfazed.

"The thought of something happening to you," he continued, "when I could have stopped it…"

I cocked my head. "Could have stopped it? This was an unpredictable situation."

"Er, I… I've been practicing some advanced magic," he said, straightening his blazer again. "There had to have been some spell, some part of my knowledge I could have used, but when it came down to it, I just stood there, weak!" he slammed his fist down on his knee.

"Oh, Beckett," I patted his shoulder. "There's nothin' wrong with freezin' up. It happened so fast. You would have needed superhuman reflexes to have stopped it."

"How do you know I don't have them?" he asked. "I _am_ vastly superior to the majority of the world's population."

I grinned. "There's the Beckett Harrington I know and loath," I chuckled. I patted his back one more time before trying to catch his eye. "You can't put the blame all on yourself. We were all there and no-one else had any idea of what to do either."

He frowned and let out a sigh. "Still… I said I'd help, so at least let me have a look at you," he glanced back down at my arm, which was now bleeding a bit from the shard I'd pulled out from my elbow a moment ago. I smirked and held my hands up like a picture frame. When I made a silly face, he narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm serious, Percy," he said sternly, twirling his finger in the air.

I sighed and stood up to do a spin. "You see? I'm completely fine," I said before sitting back down. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. When he poked at a piece of glass in the back of my neck, I winced. "Oi!"

"You are not 'fine', Percy, though this does seem like the worst of it," he told me. "Now, sit there and let me do this," he ordered. I sat completely still, watching him through the mirror on the wall in front of me. He hovered his hand above the glass and stared at it intensely. His palm started to glow, but nothing happened, and the magic seemed to fizzle out. "Shit! Just… give me a second," he swore. I'd never heard him so flustered. He tried again, but the magic only flickered like a florescent light on its way out. "Come on, Beckett, you worthless-," he mumbled.

"Oi!" I spun around to scold him. "None of that!"

He gritted his teeth, growling slightly as his hand fell to his sides. "Sorry… I've… I've done this spell a million times. I just can't… it won't…," he stuttered angrily.

"Beckett, don't be so tough on yourself," I tried to calm him down, but his fists balled on his thighs. "It's not like you to be so agitated. Just breathe. You know what you're doin'. Stop tryin' so hard. You're stressin' yourself out. Stop thinkin' so much."

"How am I to do spells without thinking about them?" he snapped at me, looking regretful immediately after.

"Well, for one, you're 'innately magical'," I quoted Professor Englund. He reminded us of that fact in _every_ class. He let a smile pull at his lip, shaking his head a little. "Yeah, that's it. Just relax. Take a deep breath and try again."

He let out his breath. "Fine," he huffed, repositioning me away from him. He held his hand up again, shaking slightly, and his hand began to glow. It didn't faulter this time. "It's working!" he beamed. The glass flew out of my neck and floated just below his palm. He ran his hand down my arms, picking up tiny pieces of glass I hadn't noticed. It didn't even hurt. "There," he said, letting the glass fall into a pile on the table. "You'll have to see the nurse tomorrow to get a salve for the cuts, but that takes care of the glass at least."

"Thanks, Dr Harrington. Am I good as new?" I joked.

He smirked. "Not so fast, Mr. Miller," he joked back. "Let me double check. Sometimes glass can dislodge and shift, and if that happens-"

I put my hand to my face. "You've taken this too far. I can't stomach the rest of that sentence."

He chuckled, then looked me over one last time, checking under my collar even. "Alright," he nodded. "I officially give you the all clear."

"What a relief," I rolled my eyes. "Does this mean you're feelin' better as well?"

He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Yes. I think so." His smile disappeared as he checked the bizarre clock on the mantel above the fireplace. "My word, it's late," he said suddenly, getting to his feet. "I'm such a dimwit. You must be exhausted, and here I am complaining about my feelings," he buttoned his blazer.

"Z'alright, really," I stood up, too. "After everythin' that's happened today, I'm not sure I would've been able to fall asleep anyway," I glanced over at the door, thinking about how impossible it seemed to sleep with a complete stranger, who was also my identical twin brother, in the room. "_But_ you could make it up to me if you want," I smirked when I looked back at him. He started back at me, waiting for something to do. "You could do all my homework this week," I joked.

"Absolutely not! How would you learn anything?!" he was so taken aback.

I laughed harder than I had all day. "I'm sure I'd figure it out. I _am_ supposed to be the most powerful Attuned at this school. You said so yourself."

His ears went pink and he rolled his eyes with a huff. "You have to know I would _never_ condone cheating, especially in regards to schoolwork…"

"As if I'd need to cheat," I joked.

"I mean, unless you _need_ the help, in which case I…"

"Don't worry, spod. I won't compromise your morals," I had to wipe at my eye. I was laughing so hard that my face hurt.

"That's such a relief. I was already sweating," he chuckled.

I nodded approvingly and patted his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you. You've progressed so far," I smirked, loving that his jokes were slowly becoming better. He rolled his eyes, but his smile remained.

After a moment of silence, with only the roar of the fire, he looked away, pulling at the ends of his blazer again. "I'll let you rest, but… I want to tell you that…," he looked around, eyes darting to the ceiling, the floor, the wall, and everywhere else but my face. He furrowed his eyebrows and his face went a bit pink.

"Oh my god, you're not comin' onto me, are you?" I asked, trying to get him to look less serious.

"What? No!" he flushed even more. "I just…," he paused, biting his cheek. "I'm just glad you're still here," he smiled uncharacteristically.

I squinted at him for a moment, then let him keep his secrets. "Yeah, me, too."

When he left, I went back to my room to deal with my new brother. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, his elbows on his knees in a thoughtful position.

He rolled his eyes at me when I approached him. "Don't get too attached. We won't be here long, and we don't know who we can trust," he said bluntly.

"They've been alright thus far… and what do you mean, we won't be here long?" I asked, proper confused.

"Your friends are a liability," he started. "They don't know about your history and they don't know who's coming after you."

"Why don't we just tell them, then?" I asked.

"Do you really think they'll want to be dragged into that?" he pursed his lips.

"I'm sure they-," I started.

"They'll what? Say it's fine? That they're behind you no matter what?" he snapped up at me. "Are you really willing to let them get involved? To let them _die_ for you?" I couldn't think of anything to say. I didn't want to cause them any more trouble than I'd already had, but I was certain they'd go along with whatever I told them. They'd done so much for me already. "What if Raife has something they want, huh? What if the people you trust so much decide their happiness is better than your safety?" I was going to snap back at him, but his eyes betrayed his tone. He'd had experience with that sort of thing… I couldn't imagine being on the run for _years_ and not feeling I could trust anyone. He looked down at his hands. "Look, I, um… I know this is a lot to process. We've lived pretty different lives."

"Yeah," I said, sitting next to him. "This whole marked for death thing is a lot to take in. How are you so calm about all of this?"

"It's something I've always lived with. I'm sorry this is the way that you're finding out," he looked up at me for a moment, but quickly hung his head again. "It was pretty tough, growing up like this. The only thing that got me through it was knowing this was what our parents wanted."

"For us to live apart and in constant fear, danger, and depression?" I asked, a bit puzzled as to whether _our parents_ would have actually planned for all this nonsense.

He shook his head and looked up at me. "For us to _live_, Percy. To survive."

We sat in silence for a moment. I couldn't think of anything to say. We were so different. He grew up being prepared for an inevitable fight, and I was raised in a world without magic with no concept of danger other than crossing the road or learning to drive. _Did… did he get to _know_ our parents at all? Was I the only one pulled so far away from the family?_ When I finally thought of something to say, I asked about them. "So… _brother_," I started awkwardly. "The picture of you and our mum… where did you get it?"

"I found it in the wreckage of our childhood home," he said.

"Wreckage?" I figured our parents were probably dead from the bits and pieces I'd put together from our lives, but… that was a strong word…

He nodded. "The fire burned it all down, but no-one ever demolished the house. It's probably still standing to this day."

"A fire? So… our parents… they…," I tried to ask without being incredibly insensitive. He was clearly more broken up about it than I was, but I didn't even know that they'd cared until that day.

He shrugged. "I didn't find any bodies. Trust me, I looked," a dark expression took over his face. "We should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"You're tellin' me," I agreed, flopping back on my bed. "Do you want the bed? I can sleep on the floor. How long has it been since you even slept in a bed?"

"I won't take your bed. The ground is more comfortable anyway," he pulled a black disk out of his pocket and shoved his arm into it, making me sit up to figure out how his void circle worked. He pulled out a sleeping bag and an old blanket that looked like it'd seen better days.

"That looks like it's been through the ringer," I pointed out as he set it on the floor.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," he picked it back up and stared down at it like it was the most precious thing in the world. "It's one of the only things I remember from when we were little. I found it at the house."

"You actually remember our parents?" I asked, desperate for information I'd never wondered about before.

"Not a lot, but some," he frowned. "It's kind of hard to think about sometimes." After a pause, he looked back up at me. "I could tell you what I do know, if you can handle it."

"I feel like I have to now," I said, thinking about everything. He held out the blanket for me. The material was frayed and burnt. "You said you found this?" I took the blanket from him and looked it over, hoping it was the key to a memory locked deep within my subconscious.

"Yeah," he began. "I must have been eight or nine at the time. I snuck out and went to see what was left of our parents' home," his face suddenly twisted into a snarl. "Raife had burned it to the ground."

"Wasn't it risky to go back there?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. If he had left any traps behind, I could have been caught, but it seems like he didn't think we'd be that stupid… And I was a kid, angry about his lot in life. I used to be a lot more reckless," his eyes narrowed, and I could feel his sorrow and anger in my soul. _Is this what they call twin empathy?_ "Picking through the burned-out mess turned out to be a waste of time for the most part. That blanket and the photo were all I found worth keeping."

I bit my lip. "What… what was it like? I know it was burnt down, but…"

"Kind of hard to tell, considering the damage, but it was spacious," he told me. "There was a swing set out back that was still intact. It makes me sad to think that they had been planning a future for us that they would never get to see," he frowned.

"So… our parents are dead, then," I implied, wondering if my assumptions were true.

He shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but it certainly looks that way," he leaned back on his hands. "My caretakers said they fell out of contact just after we had been separated."

"I wonder…," I paused, thinking that maybe I shouldn't say it aloud. It seemed like a sorer subject for him. He looked at me, seeming to give me the okay. "I wonder in what ways we're similar to them."

He looked up in thought. "My caretakers always used to tell me when I'd do something that reminded them of Mom and Dad. It made me feel like I actually knew them," he let a small smile grace his stern face. "I clearly got Mom's magical aptitude and problem solving. That gene must have skipped you."

I shoved him off of my bed and onto the floor. "Problem solved," I joked, smirking down at him as he glared back at me. He rolled his eyes and made himself comfortable on the ground. "Tell me more," I begged.

"Dad was apparently good at sports, which you seem to have inherited," he said as he unrolled his sleeping bag. "And you definitely got Mom's optimism. My caretakers said she never lost hope that we'd all get through this and be a family again."

I frowned, suddenly feeling a pull at my heart. "Well, I guess she was halfway there. _We_ made it back together." I looked down at the blanket in my hands. "You said you remembered this. How?"

He busied himself with laying out his bag and pressing the creases out. Then he sat on it and looked up at me. "I've been training for a long time," he said. "One of my gifts is the ability to _feel_ things. Sun-Atts have their prescience, and we Moon-Atts have the ability to sense moods and emotions." He reached forward and rubbed a corner of the old blanket between his fingers. "As soon as I picked this up, I felt their love and the comfort of them swaddling me in this… I felt the warmth of being in the crib next to you. When I touch this, I feel… safe."

"Atlas," I stared down at him. "Now that I know about you, there's no way in hell I would let you face any of this alone. Whatever happens, I'm not goin' anywhere."

He didn't say anything for a while. We kept eye contact long enough for me to see that he was on the fence about whether that statement was true or not. After a moment more, he laid down on his sleeping bag, his hands behind his head. "You can keep that. I think I've had it long enough. Maybe you can use your prescience to feel a little closer to them."

I decided to try it, holding the blanket close to my chest and closing my eyes. After the white flash, I couldn't see anything really, but I could hear a woman's voice. It was soft as she hummed. When she finally spoke, she said, "The two of you will never know how precious you really are…" My eyes shot open, expecting to find her standing right in front of me. I'd never felt such warmth in my life. I looked back down at my brother, who was watching me intensely.

"Thanks for tellin' me all of this," I said, a bit of uneasiness in my tone.

He cocked his head. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doin' what?" I asked, having no clue what he was doing.

"Your emotions are all over the place. Shouldn't you feel happy? What did you see?" he sat up, clearly interested.

I looked away, a bit embarrassed with myself. "No, it was quite sweet, actually, it's just… Wh… Where were our parents from?" I asked nervously, hoping he didn't know.

He eyed me suspiciously. "Quebec," he said matter-of-factly.

I could feel myself scream internally, the panic setting in. "My whole life is a lie," I muttered lowly. "First," I began to list things when he cocked his head again, "my mum isn't my mum, which I knew, but now I have two mums. Or I always had two mums, but now I care about both of them. Second, it turns out the mum that raised me _forgot_ to mention a lot of things about my status in the world. Third, it now makes sense that I was home-schooled, but the big one… the thing that upsets me the most… I'm… from Canada," I ranted, feeling the strain of the last few words. Not only was I Canadian… but I was French Canadian…

"Why is that a bad thing? It's just a place," Atlas justified.

I shook my head. "No, you don't understand. I am… I _thought_ I was English. To find out I'm Canadian… This is bollocks…," I felt utterly shambolic. I suppose it could have been worse. I could have been… American… or worse… actually French… Canada wasn't so bad, I supposed, but I'd never left the UK before falling through the lake. I didn't know what it was really like, just what I'd learned in school.

He scoffed at me. "This is what you're so upset about? Our lives are in danger and our parents are dead, and you're pissed that you're not a Brit?"

"Obviously," I folded the blanket up in my lap and set it on the desk when I stood up. "I'm goin' to go make some tea to get over this." I walked out of the room and put on a spot of tea in the common area. When I got back, Atlas was still sitting up, looking around the room subtly. "Weren't you goin' to bed?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I figured I'd wait to make sure you were okay."

I sat on my bed and set my cup on the side table. "Is this what havin' a brother is like?" I stared down at him, still not used to the fact that he had my face. It was a weird sensation. "I mean, I was expectin' more bitin' and hair pullin', but I'd say this has gone rather smoothly so far. I've heard horror stories from my mates."

"I suppose I could punch you in the face if that's what you'd like," he raised his brow at me.

I chortled. "If that's what you're into, mate, I won't judge," I joked. When he rolled his eyes, I got serious. "I actually enjoy this heart-to-heart stuff, mind," I sipped at my tea.

"Hopefully not too much. I don't think I could stomach doing this every day," he scoffed and laid down with his arms folded behind his head.

"Give it time," I smirked. He rolled his eyes again and we were silent for a bit. I was about to turn off the light and settle into bed when his eyes shot open.

"There's… one other thing," he started hesitantly.

I sat up and looked down at him again. "I don't have a sister, do I?" I asked.

"Can't you take anything seriously, Percy?" he sat up and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Not usually, no," I shrugged.

He let out a breath. "Look, when I was trapped in the mirror dimension, someone else kept coming in and out," he said. "I could never get to the open portal in time to escape."

"Who was it?" I leaned forward on my knees. "Maybe they were helpin' that Highmore guy."

He nodded. "That's what I've been thinking, too. I never got close enough to make them out, but there was one thing I saw clearly," he reached out for my hand, grabbing my wrist and holding it up to show me Shreya's bracelet. "Only your friends have these, right?"

I furrowed my brows at him, not liking where he was going with this. "Yeah, but what's that got to do with any of this?"

"Whoever's been traipsing through around the mirror dimension was wearing one just like it," his eyes were cold looking up at me.

My gut twisted. "My friends would never work with Raife Highmore," I said firmly, but my mind was already circling around trying to figure out who it could have been.

"I know what I saw," he frowned, pulling away from me. "I'm not saying anyone's working with that monster, just that I saw them there. They're not being truthful, and if they're keeping this from you, what else could they be hiding?"

I looked over to the wall, the silence lingering like a dense and ominous fog. "So… what you mean is…"

"It seems as though one of your friends isn't as trustworthy as you think."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Toil and Trouble

"Wait just a bloody minute," I held one hand up to pause the conversation my brother and I were having and pressed the other lightly to my forehead. "If you were close enough to see the bracelet, you're tellin' me you didn't see who it was?"

"They were already through the mirror when I got there! I only saw it once!" he defended. "Not like I was running for my life or anything. I'm sorry I didn't take a notepad out and sketch the person," he retorted. "Whoever it was is either keeping it a secret from you for some reason or they're working with Raife. My money's on the latter."

I let out a heavy sigh. "Seriously… I suppose it's a possibility. It wouldn't be the maddest thing to happen this year," I covered my eyes with my hand and leaned on my knees.

"Good. I'm glad you see reason."

"But-," I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes firmly, "I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt. I find it rather difficult to believe that one of them could be that much of a shithead."

"Just think about it," he tried to reason. "All the times you've been attacked, were any of your friends around?"

I rolled my eyes. "No shit, Atlas. They've been around me since I _got_ here. That's what _friends_ do; they hang around with you and are involved in your life. Of course they're more likely to be there when I'm attacked because they were already there anyway."

"What I'm saying, dipshit, is that one of them could have been _involved_ in the attacks," he fired back at me.

"None of them were around when you grabbed at my leg in the Thief game," I pursed my lips at him, trying to make a point that not everything was as it seemed and how jumping to conclusions would be rash and unhelpful.

He let out an irritated sigh. "Get over that already. I already told you what that was about."

"What _I'm_ sayin' is, don't just jump to convictin' them. I have no reason to believe they'd be sneakin' around behind me," I started. "I'm not sayin' they _aren't_ either, just that we _don't know_ and makin' assumptions ain't gonna help any."

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair the same way I do when I'm frustrated. "You can't possibly be this dense! Someone with _your bracelet_ was in the mirror dimension while _I_ was trapped there and just before _you_ got sucked in!"

"That is suspicious, but I'm not gonna be rash about it and accuse them when I don't know anythin'," I snapped back.

"Until we've figured out what's going on, you have to assume the worst-case scenario and keep an eye on your friends," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and trying to calm himself down.

I huffed. "Fine, but how exactly do we plan to go about that?"

"We go back to the Hall of Mirrors," he said bluntly.

"We were just there, and we didn't find anythin'," I tried to steady myself by finishing off the tea I had on the side table.

"That's because we didn't go inside," he looked up at me, his eyes a bit gentler now. "We still need to find out why you were able to get into the mirror dimension in the first place. The key must be the mirror you fell through. Magic always leaves traces, and I'm sure that room has the answers we're looking for." I nodded, agreeing to the plan. "In the meantime, you need to figure out which of your friends can't be trusted."

"I'm 99% certain they aren't behind this, but sure," I agreed.

"What about the 1%?" he asked.

"They've been with me through a shitstorm of madness since I got here, mind," I said confidently.

"That should have been your first sign that something was up," he raised his eyebrow. "Normally, people would run for the hills the moment they knew there was danger."

I stared down at him in disbelief. "Have you ever had friends?"

"No. I don't need people getting in the way and messing up my life," he replied bluntly. "They've only stuck around because they're out to get you, which is why we need to find out what they were doing in the mirror dimension."

I blinked a few times blankly. "Bloody hell. I feel sorry for you. I know you don't think they're any good, but let me prove that havin' people to lean on is better than bein' alone." He didn't say anything after that. He laid back down on his sleeping bag and put his back to me. I switched off the light and crawled into my own covers. After a stale silence, I felt a bit bad. "Atlas," I whispered in the dark room.

"Get some rest," his sharp tone had softened a bit. "You'll need all your energy for the days to come."

"Right…"

The next morning was a bit of a drag. Atlas was already gone when I woke up. He'd left a note saying that he'd be out for a while and would come back later, but I felt a bit bad about arguing the night prior. I mean, I had a brother! That was the best news. I almost thought it was a dream until I saw his rolled up sleeping bag in my closet and the note on the desk. The part that really hit me… If my brother was real, that meant the threat was, too, and my friends were under a magnifying glass until further notice. I got dressed and headed straight for class. I didn't feel much like eating that morning.

I sulked down to the greenhouse just in time for Natural Studies and slid onto the stool next to Shreya. Kontos was fumbling with a large plant in the middle of the classroom and was about to start the lesson.

"Good morning, class," he beamed. "Today, we're continuing our lessons on plants by reviewing a very special one, felifem," he gestured to the plant next to him. "As you'll recall, we planted these a few weeks ago, and now the leaves are ready for harvest." He held up one of the large, almost elephant ear sized leaves with veins of gold running up the stem and to the ends of the foliage.

"I've had that before," Shreya whispered. "Patissiere Riso uses it in all of her cakes," she grinned widely.

"What does it do?" I asked lowly, but I guess not low enough. Kontos cleared his throat and stared across at us. "Sorry, Professor," I mouthed, sinking in my seat.

"Felifem is well-known for its ability to influence thoughts and emotions," he explained. "In particular, when consumed, it has mood-boosting properties."

"So, it's like a drug?" I mostly asked myself aloud.

"It's generally used as a stress reliever," Kontos grinned knowingly at me. "It gives you energy and brightens your day, however, an overdose causes individuals to experience extreme euphoria. It's been known to completely consume them."

"So… it's like a drug," I confirmed internally. "You've eaten that stuff?" I turned to Shreya.

"Only in small doses," she winked.

Kontos walked around the room, setting a smaller potted version of the felifem on each desk. "In order to safely harvest felifem, you must stroke the stems before you gently pluck the leaves off. If you rip off the leaves, you pose risk of releasing spores, which can give you a nasty case of the giggles," he explained, showing more sympathy for the plant than enjoyment of the symptoms. "Well now. Get to work. I'll be coming by each of your tables to check on your progress and answer any questions you may have."

Shreya and I focused on our plant, which smelt like honey. I put my fingers to the stem and stroked the plant gently. The leaves drooped in a relaxed state, letting the veins shimmer in the morning sunlight. Shreya and I gingerly plucked the leaves off of the plant. I don't know if she felt it, too, but the act of handling that plant made me stop worrying about everything else that was going on. I had peace of mind for the first time in weeks.

"Excellent work, you two. I see you were paying attention," Kontos smiled as he approached out table.

"This is oddly therapeutic," I smiled back.

"One of the plant's other abilities," he said, giving the plant a warm look. "If you're kind to felifem, it gives off soothing energy. I keep one in every room of my house." _That explains why he smiles so much_. He went off to inspect the other students, leaving Shreya and I to chat while we picked the rest of the leaves.

Shreya was unusually quiet. I glanced over at her and was alarmed to see her smuggling a few of the leaves into her bag. _What are you doin'?_ I watched her out of the corner of my eye for a minute. She looked around, noting where the professor was, then stuffed another few leaves into her purse. _Why are you doin' that?_ Maybe it was because of the conversation with Atlas, but every small inconsistency in her behaviour suddenly triggered fear and anxiety in me.

"Everything okay, Percy?" she asked sweetly. "You look pale. Is the plant giving you trouble?"

I shook my head subtly. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

The rest of class was about the same as always, but as soon as the bell rang, Shreya jumped up. "I've got, uh, stuff to do, so… I'll see you later," she blurted awkwardly before swiftly exiting the greenhouse. _Don't do that, Shreya_… I found myself worrying about every little thing.

I grabbed my own bag and left shortly after her. I was relieved when I saw Beckett crouched over in the grass digging for something. I knew he was a science geek, but seeing him in his element and not trying so hard to be posh was always a sight.

"Just hold still!" he grunted, staring intently at whatever it was he was trying to get at.

I stepped up behind him, looking over his shoulder. "Did you drop somethin'? Your supplemental readin'? Or your glasses?"

"Don't be absurd. I don't need nor wear glasses," he spat, not taking his eyes off of what he was doing.

"Then what _are_ you doin'?" I squatted next to him and watched him fiddle with a plant growing up the side of the stone bench.

"I'm collecting spores from the fern known as Kelvin's claw," he said, still not looking up at me. "It's for Natural Studies. If I collect the requisite samples for a particular potion, I get extra credit."

It felt good to laugh after all the worrying I was doing. "Extra credit. That explains everythin'," I snorted.

"Do you mind holding this frond for me while I scrape the underside? I'm having a hard time managing both tasks," he held the fern's leaves out for me to hold. I pinched it between my fingers, trying not to quip about his inability to multitask, and held it steady while he gently scraped the spores into a glass container. He was concentrating so hard that his brow wrinkled. "There we go. Having your assistance proved quite useful just now," he grinned at the container as he sealed the spores within it.

"You know me, always striving to be _quite useful_," I joked.

"Actually, would you like to join me in collecting the rest of the ingredients?" he finally looked up at me. "I'll be sure to tell Professor Kontos that you helped. I'm certain that would impress him."

I stared at him, his eyes glittering in excitement. "Is this invitation because you want me around or because you need me to hold things?" I teased.

"The task will require adventuring around campus and perhaps a little bit of death-defying acrobatics to get what we need," his eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Alright, so you just need the sporty guy to help you in your nerd quest," I clarified.

He looked down at the spores. "I suppose your company isn't a drawback."

"Gee, thanks," I stood up and straightened out my shirt.

"The results will be worth it," he stood as well. "I could even give you a preview of the potion. It's sure to be a marvellous sight to behold."

I smirked. "I haven't anythin' better to do. Lead the way."

He grinned, but it faltered for a moment. "Percy, I-," he started, but shook his head. I cocked my head at him, but he just turned on his heal and pretended like nothing happened. "Follow me."

"Alright," I followed after him, a bit of an odd feeling in my gut.

He led me to one of the flower fields on the edge of campus, lined by tall and thick trees.

"I'm looking for a flower colloquially known as the 'Sandman's Sneeze'," he said after avoiding my eye contact the entire walk. "It's the same genus as the Dreamshade, which you'll recall is used in the daydream potion, and looks almost identical."

"Yeah, Beck, I know what dreamshade is," I rolled my eyes. "I've made that a few times now." I looked over at him, expecting him to get angry with me for using the nickname he hated so much, but he didn't do anything. "What is all of this for, anyway?" I asked as I scanned the field for a golden, 5-leaved flower.

"The golden hour potion," he said. "It casts the illusion of evening light on everything in an 800-metre radius."

"Mint. You get extra credit for doin' this?" I asked. "Don't you already have a better than perfect grade?"

"Perfection is a limiting ideal," he knelt down to look at the flowers by his feet. They weren't the one he was looking for, but he was fascinated by them anyway. "I want to go above and beyond that."

"Extra credit on top of extra credit. You're such an overachiever."

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds excessive," he agreed, standing to walk to another patch of yellow flowers. "As I thought. We have Lumie Catchers, Sandman's Sneeze, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, a lot of radish."

I shook my head in disbelief. "We just got here, and you've already spotted all that? You're such a keener."

"I did a quick survey of the area. Not to brag, but my observational skills are one of my strengths," he held his nose high. _Then use some of those skills in real life._ He cleared his throat when he caught my eye and looked away again. "Moving on. I see a few other plants that I need. Can I entrust the collection of the Sandman's sneeze to you?"

"You know you can," I said, turning to scan the field again. I spotted a few golden flowers scattered in with the yellow ones, but they stood out. I picked a few of them and turned around, holding up the bouquet. "Is this enough?" I asked when I saw him coming back my way.

"Just about," he nodded, looking only at the flower. "It seems, with me guiding, we make quite a capable team." I snorted, but he seemed unfazed. "The last few clippings I need will be on campus, I believe."

We made our way back to the campus and I followed Beckett to the end of the bridge running over the lake I'd arrived in. As we walked toward the centre of the bridge, he stopped a few times to trim bits of the vines that grew up the columns. He started going on and on about Penderghast's history and the architecture. I didn't care much about it, but I enjoyed seeing him livelier than he had be the day prior.

"Imagine this: Those flaming braziers all over campus? They were once _columns of flame_!" he raved excitedly.

"As mint as that sounds, wouldn't that be a bit hazardous?" I reasoned.

"Essentially," he shrugged, rubbing the tip of a vine's leaf between his fingers gently. "It was said that the flames were the Flames of Truth. Those touched by it would speak only prophecies until their dying breath," he paused and looked out over the bridge. "Which came soon after, because even magical fire tends to be fatal."

I stared blankly at him. "This place baffles me more and more every day." I shook my head, kicking my thoughts out for a while. "What about that buildin' there?" I pointed to a stone building that looked older than the rest of the 18th century European builds nearby.

"That is the laboratory where renowned Metal-Att professor Tianbao Yin pioneered the practice of alloy magic," he beamed. "Fun fact: Professor Yin became a werewolf in his later life."

"Werewolves are real?" my eyes went wide. "Maybe lead with that next time."

"I assure you, his research was far more interesting than what he became during the full moon," he gasped at my lack of understanding.

"Maybe to you," I snorted. "I'd rather like to meet a werewolf, if the chance arose." He huffed and turned towards the rail at the centre of the bridge. He looked like he was about to flip himself off the side. "Beckett!" I reached forward to grab his blazer as his feet came off the ground.

"The final sample I need is down here!" he called up to me, unaware of how precariously balanced he was. "It's a type of lichen that grows on the side of the bridge around the midpoint."

"How do you know if there's any down there currently?" I asked as I tried to push his feet back down. His head was completely upside-down, and he'd let go of the railing to inspect the underbridge.

"This particular cultivar grows exclusively around mermaid habitations, so I'm guessing that it-"

"_Mermaids?!_" I nearly dropped him when I leaned over the edge to look for one. "Where?!"

"Percy!" he struggled when I caught him by his beltloop. "If you could avoid dropping me-"

"Sorry! You can't just say _mermaids_ and not expect me to look!" I pulled him all the way up and watched him straighten his blazer with a huff.

"I can't believe you didn't know. There's a colony of them in the lake."

I turned to him and held my hand up. "No, I've been in the lake and I have yet to see one."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, they tend to keep to themselves and stay out of sight, usually. Your path would not have crossed theirs."

"Okay, but wait. Are the rumours true? What happens if you kiss a mermaid?" I blabbed out, thinking of all the stories the fishermen in Bristol had told me in my youth.

"What kind of question is that?" he looked deeply offended for the poor mergirls.

I tried not to smile, but it was hard. It was like I was a kid in a new treehouse filled with sweets. "I come from a port town, Beck," I bit my lip excitedly. "They say if you see a mermaid, you have a year of luck, catch one and you're blessed, and kiss one to live twice your years."

Beckett tried not to laugh at me. He stared at me like I'd gone mad. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Kissing a mer-person is no different than kissing a human… though it's rumoured that their tongues have an intoxicating effect…"

"See, you have misconceptions, too!" I teased. "How brilliant would that be, though?" He rolled his eyes at me, but a smile pulled at his cheeks. "You learn somethin' new every day."

"I would hope that you learn _several_ somethings every day," his eyes pinned mine like he was telling me I don't cram enough. With Beck and Atlas, who needs enemies… He cleared his throat. "Back to business, shall we? I'll lower you down and you can scrape the lichen off. It should be easy."

"If it's so easy, you do it. Why am I to hang off the bridge?" I questioned.

"You nearly dropped me a moment ago. I'll not take that risk again," he raised his brow and turned his nose up.

"It's your own fault for distractin' me," I objected. After arguing about it a bit more, I ended up with my feet in the air. Beckett's arms were around my knees, holding me over the rail. "If you drop me, hell hath no fury like a lad who got dropped in a lake."

"Don't worry. I've got you securely. Now, the lichen should be gold in colour. Find it and scrape it into that bag." I mumbled some unsavoury words and began to scrape the specimen from the bridge into his satchel. "Hastily, if you would!" he shouted down at me.

"Beck, if you drop me-"

"Yes, yes. You've warned me."

I sighed heavily and quickly, but gently, got a few more pieces. "I think I've got enough!" I called back up to him. I heard him let out a sigh of relief before he pulled me back up. I threw the satchel back onto the bridge, but before I could get my hand around the rail, his grip loosened briefly. I was effing and blinding as I slipped, only a few inches, mind, but enough to cause my heart to panic. "Beck!" I shouted anxiously, staring down at the water.

"Sorry!" he managed to pull me up far enough for me to get leverage and push myself back onto the bridge.

I sat down immediately and hugged the floor. "Sweet, sweet ground!"

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," he rolled his eyes.

"I ought to push you off this bridge right now," I glared at him.

"I didn't drop you!" he objected. I continued to glare at him, making him anxiously straighten his blazer. "If you'll give me a moment, I think you'll find that it was quite worth it."

"It better be," I stood up. "My life was in the balance," I joked dramatically.

"Cool your head. You'll be fine." He snatched up his satchel and pulled a bit of each ingredient into his hand. He crushed them together and light began to spray out from between his fingers.

"Woah…," I looked up at the beam of light that had shot up from his now open palm.

"It's just a slapdash, low-grade version of the golden hour potion," he explained. "We'll need a cauldron for the real deal, but…" The light turned orange, like a beautiful sunset at noon. The bridge wood began to glow in the evening light and the water rippled colour beneath us.

"Blimey…" I couldn't gather my thoughts. Magic was so wicked.

"That's why I took on this project, you see," Beckett grinned widely. "Aside from the extra credit, I'd read about the golden hour potion before and wanted to see its effects." We sat down on the edge of the bridge and looked out over the water towards the school. I let my feet dangle over the sunset coloured water as he told me more about the potion, growing more animated by the second. When the light began to fade, it looked like actual dusk, even though it was still high noon.

"I'm glad you're feelin' better, Beckett," I said, still looking out onto the water, my arms resting on the railing above me as I leant out.

"What… what do you mean?" he asked, completely thrown off.

"So much for your observational skills," I joked. "You've been stressed since yesterday. You were more shaken up than I'd thought you'd be. I don't know what's been going on with you, but…"

He put his hands in his lap and pushed his thumbs together nervously. "Thank you, but I'm fine. It's nothing you should be concerned about."

"Alright then," I said simply, turning back to the water.

"Wait, you're going to drop it? Just like that?" his eyes went wide. He knew I wasn't one to let things slide easily.

I rolled my eyes. "See, I knew it was somethin'. Just tell me."

He turned away from me, putting his back against the post and staring at his hands. "I… you see… I've… made mistakes. Terrible ones… and sometimes it's hard to move on from them."

"Depends on the mistake. This isn't about a 99 out of 100 on a test, is it?" I leaned back on my hands to watch his face.

He chortled silently. "I take my grades quite seriously, but no, it's not that." I let a moment of silence go by, wondering if he'd say more, but more never came. His hands balled into fists and I noticed his jaw square.

"I suppose you don't have to talk about it, but just so you know, whatever it is, you'll survive it," I looked up at the sky. "Maybe it feels like the end of the world, but it isn't, trust me. The world's gonna keep spinnin', and you're gonna have to go along for the ride regardless. You'll get through to the other side at some point."

"Perhaps…"

"No 'perhaps'. You will," I reassured him. "Give it time. You'll make things right in your own Beckett-ish way. Until then, I've got your back, whatever it is."

"I hope you're right," he frowned and glanced at me when he thought I wasn't looking. After another silence, he turned to me, looking more relaxed. "I haven't thanked you for your help today."

"Don't worry about it. I had a good time. It got my mind off of some things," I tried to keep my mind off of those things, but now that I'd thought about it, they were starting to come back. It made me worry a bit more about what mistake he might've done. The afternoon sun beat down on us, but the lake breeze was enough to cool me down. I tried to think about that instead.

"No, I said I'd make it up to you, and I will," he seemed determined.

"Well…," I smirked. "I can think of two things to make up for all my hard labour." He stared intently at me, as if he had to study and perfect the requests. "Gimmie a snack," I said bluntly. At his puzzled look, I added, "I've been runnin' around all mornin' for you. The least you could do is feed me. You have somethin' on you, don't you?"

"Uh, yes, I do, actually…," he fumbled around in his satchel and pulled out a small bag of mixed nuts. I snagged it from him and stared through the plastic.

"Is this nut glowin'?" I asked with a smirk. "I'm not gonna turn purple or anythin' if I eat this, am I?"

He shook his head. "No, but you will gain a very brief elemental power boost."

"Magical energy snacks," I chuckled to myself before trying out a handful. "This is quite good."

"Try doing some magic."

I squinted at him then at my hand as I raised it up to the lake. The water rippled a bit faster before towering up over the bridge at my behest. When I let it go, it fell in front of us, splashing us with a mist. "Mint." I looked down at the mix and ate a few more.

"What was the second thing?" he asked.

"Hm?" I raised an eyebrow at him, having forgotten what I'd said to him.

"You said two things would compensate you for assisting me today. You already ate my snack for the day," he gestured to the empty bag.

I nodded. "Oh, I remember. You don't have a choice on this one. It's gonna happen regardless."

"What is it?" he stood up and extended a hand to help me up.

I took it and got to my feet. "I'm gonna call you 'Beck' for the rest of our friendship. It's decided."

"You've got to be joking," he objected.

I shook my head. "I guess I could throw you off the bridge if you want, but it won't change anything, _Beck_."

He grabbed his satchel off the ground, and we headed back towards the school. "Isn't there _anything_ else?" I smirked and shoved his shoulder, making him stumble towards the railing. "Alright! I suppose it's not a horrible term to agree to."

"There's a good boy," I rustled his hair like a dog and chuckled when he glared at me.

Just as we took a final step off the bridge and onto the path, I heard a splash behind me. I whirled around just in time to see a fin hit the water.

"Did you see that?!" I grabbed Beckett's head and spun him around to look at the water.

"See what?" he stared out into the water, oblivious of the luck I just gained.

"Mermaid!" I jumped, wrapping my arm around his neck in my excitement. I pointed out to the rippling water.

"I missed it?!" his eyes shot wide open.

About an hour later, we'd parted ways. Beckett had gone to his next class, but I had a break for lunch, so I went to see Atlas with something to eat. He was on my bed, leaning against the wall.

"There you are. You've been gone for hours. What took you so long?" he sat up. I dropped my bag by the door and sat next to him, extending a paper sack out to him. "What's this?" he asked, eyeing the bag suspiciously.

"Lunch. Eat." I said simply, biting into my new favourite meal, dragon links with some sort of magical mustard. "I _do_ still have classes to attend," I spoke between bites. "And the normal thing to do would be to ask me how my day was, brother."

"Why would I do that?" he asked as he pulled out the lunch I'd snagged for him. It was the closest thing I could find to a burger.

"Because that's what family does. We check in on each other to make sure everythin's alright," I peeked over at him. "Speakin' of, how was your day?"

"Hard pass," he said, tentatively pulling pieces out of the concoction to eat separately.

"You're really suckin' at this brother thing, you know," I informed him.

He rolled his eyes. "If I have to share my feelings all the time, hard pass," he repeated. "What did you find out during your classes?"

I frowned and put my dragon link down for a moment. "Shreya was actin' strange. She nicked some magical leaves durin' class and then ran off somewhere," I explained, feeling the same anxiety I had felt when I'd first witnessed the act. "And Beckett was off, too, like somethin' was botherin' him, but he wouldn't tell me."

"Which one of them do you think it is?" he asked accusingly.

"I don't think either of them are up for the gallows just yet," I tried to take another bite, but my appetite was suddenly gone again. "I need to find out more before I make assumptions."

He nodded, I suppose not wanting to start anything like last night. "Then we should focus one the Hall of Mirrors. I finally got what we need to break in."

"You're not invisible anymore. How do you suppose we get there without getting' caught?" I asked. "That part of the school is so sectioned off that they cancelled classes in that buildin' today."

"The supplies I got will help us investigate the Hall of Mirrors once we're inside, but… maybe it'd be best if I do this alone," he avoided my eyes.

"Tosh," I knew he wasn't serious. "If you wanted to do this yourself, you'd have just gone already. You've bothered to tell me now, so I'm going with you."

"You haven't been trained at all," he objected calmly.

"Then train me on the way," I retorted.

He sighed. "What do you think our biggest threat is?"

"My lack of experience," I stated bluntly.

His eyes went wide. "Well, that's honest…"

"Look, I know I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but this is important. I need to understand what happened," I reasoned.

He crossed his arms and watched me, looking for any faltering in my will. "Alright, fine. You can come."

I beamed. "You won't regret it."

"Well, you did a pretty good job last night getting me back here, so you're on the right track," he _may_ have smiled, but his face was always so sour that it was hard to tell, "but it wouldn't hurt to take some extra precautions. Do you have a disguise of some kind or a magical enchantment?"

I smirked. "I don't, but I know where to get one. If Aster sees me coming, she'll have somethin' ready by the time I get there."

"Aster?" he asked.

I blushed a bit. "Yeah. She owns a shop in Penn Square."

He raised an eyebrow. "Good. Go find something useful, and be sure to be back here by dark or-"

"You'll go without me, yeah, yeah," I mocked. "I'll be back in a bit." I hopped off the bed and left my room only to turn around and use the same door to get to Penn Square.

The bell on the door let out a sweet sound as I entered the shop. Aster was already waiting patiently behind the counter.

"Let me guess, you saw me comin'?" I beamed when I saw her beautiful face.

"Naturally," she grinned back, glowing as the flowers in her hair rustled to their own breeze, "and I've already picked out the perfect outfit for your break-in tonight!" She squealed with excitement.

I narrowed my eyes with a smile. "Aster, you seem a bit too giddy about my rule-breakin' adventures." She giggled and shrugged. "You know, you can't let anyone else know about my break in, alright? That would defeat the purpose of sneakin' around."

She stepped out from behind the counter with the same adorable smile. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She led me over to the clothing racks in the front of the store and pulled out a leather jacket. "The cloth itself is enchanted to make you difficult to see, so it should be perfect for sneaking around," she said as she pushed it to my chest. "And the shoes have a special enchantment on them that make you walk in total silence!" she knelt down under the rack and pulled out a pair of leather boots.

"Aster, you're brilliant!" I stared down at the clothes she'd thrown my way.

"Well, go on then. Try it on! My leaves are positively shaking in anticipation!" she giggled.

I ran into the changing booth. When I stepped out, I did a suave little spin. "How do I look? Like a secret agent, don't you think?" I stared down at myself. Leather biker jacket, leather pants, leather boots, and a grey acid-washed tee shirt. I looked like a punk on my way to a concert.

"You look fantastic!" she clapped happily. "And with the enchantment, you'll blend right into the shadows. How are the shoes? Is everything working properly?"

I jumped a few times, but I didn't make a single sound as I hit the ground. "Mint."

"I'm really glad you stopped by," she smiled sweetly, her leaves rustling shyly.

Before I could respond and tell her that I was looking forward to seeing her again, her eyes went dark and her body perfectly still. "Aster?" I asked, knowing what was happening. I took a step toward her and hovered my hands near her shoulders, just in case she fell over like last time.

"The earth is sick," she said in monotone. "Its darkness leaches into our roots. It runs in our veins, poisoning us. His power grows stronger every day. How far will he spread this disease? How many of us shall fall before he is satisfied?" Her voice began to strain like she was in pain, but her face remained still and detached. "Time is passing, faster now. We rush toward an ending, into the unknown." I stared into her eyes, trying to get a grasp around what she was saying. What could she have seen that would warrant such dark words? Her hand reached up as fast as lightning and gripped my wrist. "Beware the mischievous hour!" she shouted, her features contorting in desperation. "Beware…" As she said the last word, the force running through her began to leave. As quickly as it had taken her, it had sapped all of her energy and disappeared. She groaned as she slumped forward. I caught her in my arms and sat back against the bench, letting her gently to the floor. Her head fell lifelessly against my forearm, but she let out a heavy sigh, letting me know she was going to be alright. I couldn't say anything. I was too concerned about her. Her branching scared me, not because of her power or how she looked, but because of what it did to her and what could happen when she had these attacks alone. "I'm sorry, Percy," her voice was low and hoarse. "I don't know what's going on with me lately."

"Shh," I ran a hand tentatively through her hair. "No need to apologise. Are you alright? Can I do anythin' for you?"

She smiled weakly up at me, letting her cheek rub against my arm. "Not really… but I appreciate you offering." She wrapped her hands around both of my arms, trying to pull herself up, but her strength was gone, and she slumped back to the floor. "There… must be something big looming on the horizon. That would be the only reason I'm branching so much of late."

I slid off of the bench beside her on the floor, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and letting her lean against mine. "Aster, I know you don't always understand your branchin', but do you know what you meant by 'the mischievous hour'?" I asked, trying not to push her, but needing to understand… at least to help her out… but her visions had helped me in the past already.

"Oh," she furrowed her brows and rubbed her temple, "I must have been talking about midnight. You know, when it's almost impossible to do magic."

"Impossible?" I thought about the party in the woods where the students were showing off left and right. "I've seen magic done late at night before."

She nodded briefly. "It's only hard to do magic for about a minute. Most people don't even notice it happening."

"You say it's hard. Has anyone successfully used magic then?" I asked.

She sat up, pushing herself away from my arm and turning towards me slowly. "I've never seen it, personally, but then again, there's a lot I haven't seen. It's not so much that one _cannot_ do it, just that the results are too unpredictable. It's impossible to cast intentionally." She bit her lip slightly and held her thumb to the corner of her mouth. "Perhaps someone with strong magic could do it, but they'd have to be _very_ strong."

I thought of my conversations with Atlas and the few things I'd learned from Swan and the book I'd taken from the library. Raife Highmore was most likely strong enough to cast during the void minute. No doubt he'd be the one behind anything bizarre or dangerous happening around the magic community. If Aster was seeing through the trees, maybe they were watching him set the whole thing up.

She sighed and pushed herself up using the bench, a bit of life restored to her pale face and leaves. As she stood straight, her legs wobbled, forcing me to jump to my feet to catch her, if need be. She held up her hand and smiled curtly. "I'd better get back to work. The shop isn't going to organise itself."

"Are you sure you're feelin' well enough for that?" I inquired, ducking down just a bit to catch her eyes. "I don't want you to push yourself."

"Well, someone has to keep the shop in order," she grinned. "Although… I wouldn't mind some help, if you're offering." She blushed just a bit under her earthy skin and her flowers bloomed once more with renewed energy. "This shop is such a magical place. I'm sure you'd enjoy looking at all the amazing things we have here."

She didn't need to bribe me. I was only interested in one thing in that store. She could have told me to jump out of a window and I probably would have done it. My eyes were suddenly drawn away from her when the hooting of wooden owls flapping around my head caught my attention. One landed on my shoulder and nuzzled its head into my neck. "Hey there, little one."

"It seems like I'm not the only one who wants you to stay," Aster looked between the two of us affectionately.

I thought for a moment about my time limit, but only a moment was spared for it. "I'd be happy to. I've got a bit of time left before-" I cut myself off, thinking that she probably knew of Atlas' existence, but I couldn't tell her yet… I couldn't tell anyone yet… "You know… Sneakin' around." I caught her eyes and smiled warmly. "Besides, I'd rather be here with you than overthinkin' and over-plannin'." I smirked at the thought of Atlas sitting in my room, mind running worst-case scenarios over and over, getting overly anxious about everything.

She beamed giddily. "Wonderful," she spun around with delight and made her way, slowly yet with purpose, across the store. I followed her to a bookcase that towered above us to the ceiling. The shelves were lined with various items from small bottles to books. "How about you start by organising my extracts. Just sort them by colour," she gestured to the bottles and vials scattered around the top few shelves.

"I'm startin' to think I should get paid for being a chore boy," I joked. She giggled, but before she could respond, the baby owl on my shoulder jumped onto the shelves, knocking a few things off. "Careful, little one!" I warned as I caught a few of the small trinkets, a crystal and a couple pendants.

"Oh, Simon," Aster held out her hand and let him settle on her wrist. "He's very sweet, but he can be a bit clumsy. He likes to get into everything," she rubbed under his beak and made him shake his head in delight. "Just yesterday, he knocked a priceless crystal ball off the shelf, and I spent half the day cleaning up the pieces." He tried to jump back onto the bookcase, but I caught him mid-flight.

"Alright, Simon. You can either stay on my shoulder or go back to your nest, but you must stay out of the way," I perched him on my shoulder and let him hop around until he felt comfortable. He ruffled his feathers and hooted. Aster grinned than began to sort some things near the counter. I pulled the nearby step over with my foot and began to sort the vials and tiny bottles. I could see her reflection in a mirror on the shelf below my arm. She looked so warm and happy. I was glad that she could recover so quickly from those bad branching spells.

She glanced over at me, catching me staring in the mirror. "I really appreciate you doing this, Percy," she blushed and turned back to her glass display case. "It's a lot of work running this shop by myself."

"I don't mind at all. I'm happy to help," I tried to keep from watching her, but it was difficult. It wasn't until I almost dropped a bottle on its side that I was forced to focus on the task at hand. "Couldn't you ask other nymphs to help sometimes? You could hire an assistant."

"Oh, well, I'm one of the only mobile nymphs currently," she bit her lip and kept her eyes on her shelf. "The others have already rooted or are still seedlings."

"Rooted?" I asked. I knew they were similar to trees, but that seemed like a very permanent, tree-like thing to do.

She nodded. "That's the first step a wood nymph takes to becoming a tree." My eyes shot back to the mirror to watch her. This was all completely normal for her. "My father started rooting about a year ago," she said. "That's why he couldn't manage the shop anymore."

I turned around and stepped down. "So, at a certain age you just… become a tree?"

"It's a slow process," she explained, "but as soon as we put down our first roots, we can no longer walk." She smiled proudly like it was a rite of passage or something. "My mother hasn't rooted yet, but she wants to grow in a nice piece of ground right by my father, so she doesn't go out much."

"So, you could turn into a tree just about anywhere?" I leaned against the counter to look down at her as she sorted the glass display. She nodded. "Nymph culture is strange." Simon pecked at my cheek and flapped his wings angrily. "Uh, meanin' no offence. It's just different from what I'm used to. I didn't even know magic was real until a little while ago." He settled down and gave a slight hoot, I suppose to tell me I was forgiven.

"I don't know if it's that different," Aster looked up in thought. "I suppose we do live longer than humans, but when you're a baby, it's not like you can do much on your own, and when you get old, it's hard for you to move. It's the same for us."

I shrugged. "I guess that's true."

"See, that's why the shop is important. It's a place where we can learn about each other," she beamed and stood up, meeting me eye to eye.

"I'm surprised your family runs a shop at all, considerin' the lives you lead and all that's happened in the magical community." Simon hopped off my shoulder and onto the counter to prune his wing. I scratched the top of his head.

"Well, our shop has been around for a very long time, since before Penn Square was even here. At this point, it would be a shame to let it go," she looked around with adoration and nostalgia in her eyes. "Apparently, we almost closed during the Wand Wars because of how dangerous it was, but my grandfather kept us open."

"Who will run it after you?" I asked without thinking. "I mean, if you're comin' to Penderghast next year, I'm not sure you'll have the time to run the shop," I added quickly, but I was also thinking about her becoming a tree. How many years did she have to be free and see the world before that was to happen?

She began to pet Simon as well. "Well, I'll just have to make time for it then."

"It would be a nice break from all the crammin' you'll be doing, that's for sure," I grinned. "And it would be a nice break to come visit you as well."

She blushed and brushed a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "More than likely, one of my siblings will be ready to run the shop when the time comes," she said. "Of course, I'll still have to check in and make sure they don't destroy the place, but they can probably manage day to day business," she added, a look of momentary horror crossing her face.

I chuckled. "Well, everythin' over there is colour-coded. What's next?"

"Could you start looking through those drawers?" she pointed to a dresser that was built into the wall. The drawers were overflowing with cloth, bottles, scrolls, and several other things. "If you can just organise them well enough that they can close, that would be great."

I nodded and began my next task. There was no mirror to watch her this time, but Simon was the main focus anyway. He'd perched himself on one of the drawers and began digging through it. He picked up a marble, which I had to take from him, and a few pieces of stray cloth. "You can look, but don't touch anythin'," I scolded him with a smirk. He nodded at me and jumped from the drawer onto my head. "You little trouble-maker," I gave him a quick pat before continuing my work. When I got to the second drawer, I found a small wooden box labelled 'not for sale'. "Aster, what are these?" I asked when I opened the box.

"Oh! That's my private collection!" she nearly tripped over herself scrambling over to me. "I put items in there that I cannot bear to sell."

In the box, there was a necklace with a pendant that looked like a shark tooth, but it was a red crystal. It was warm to the touch and gave off a very faint light from the centre. Next to it were a few other things. A golden pirate coin from, by my own guess, the late 1600s, and a conk shell that seemed to glow in the dark. I held the necklace in my hand and inspected it.

"A Fire-Att came in and pawned that for some rare potion ingredients," Aster began. "He said he was going to return and buy it back later, but he never came, so I've been holding it for him."

"That's kind of you," I grinned as I put it back in the box.

"He said it was a family heirloom. I couldn't bear the thought of him being separated from it forever," she frowned at the thought. "It doesn't seem to like me much, though. Every time I pick it up, it tries to set me on fire." I looked down at the necklace and realised how warm it was on my fingers. I quickly pulled my hand away and moved some of the more flammable things away from it. Simon tried to help me, but took a piece of cloth and flew away with it. I caught him when he landed on a clothing rack and pulled the cloth out of his beak. "There's so much out there I want to see and learn. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface," she said dreamily.

"There's definitely more for you to see," I said when I turned back to her.

"Like what?" she laughed when Simon hopped back on my head, making me flinch a little. You couldn't blame me for being jumpy after all I'd been through.

"Well, let's see," I thought. "The cinema, airplanes, the internet," I began listing.

"Oh! I know about the internet!" she exclaimed giddily. "I tried to make a web page for the shop once. I even collaborated with a whole family of spiders, but it didn't draw in any new customers."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "That's not-," I tried, but words weren't coming easily in my fit. "You know what, close enough."

She sighed, but smiled, knowing I wasn't laughing _at_ her. "If I get into Penderghast, I'd love to have your help learning about all the special Attuned things."

"I'd be happy to show you around," I beamed. After an extended silence with us avoiding each other's eyes, I turned back to finish straightening the drawers. Eventually, I was able to close all of them, no thanks to Simon, who kept digging through things even after seemingly understanding my warnings. I eventually had to put him back in his nest. When I turned back around, I found Aster precariously balancing to grab a box from a top shelf. "Let me help you with that," I rushed over to her, holding my hand behind her back for support.

"I'm alright. I can get it," she said, determined, but the box only moved away from her grasp. She huffed. "Come here, you box. We have _got_ to work on your cooperation."

"Let me help you," I repeated, stretching up to slide the box back towards her fingers.

"No, no, don't worry about it, Percy. I'm fine," she said again, stretching just a bit farther. When she finally got her fingertips around the edge of the box and began to pull it off the shelf, she lost her balance and fell backwards off the step. I caught her, but not before she dropped the box. In trying to catch both her and the box, we both fell to the floor, Aster in my lap and the box next to us in my hand. In mere seconds, she burst into a fit of laughter.

"I guess you're okay then," I chuckled with her. She turned her head to look back at me, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight and her flowers dancing with delight. Without thinking, I leaned into her. Her hand cupped my face and our foreheads touched. She smelt like a garden of spring flowers. I closed my eyes for a second and just enjoyed the warmth and comfort of her touch before realising how awkward I was being. "Aster," I started, but before any other word could come out of my mouth, her lips pressed against mine. I set the box down and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear before holding her neck and accepting the kiss. Her lips were soft like rose petals. I closed my eyes and leaned into her. When we pulled away, she was glowing. The vines on her arms and the flowers in her hair swayed like there was a delicate breeze blowing through the cluttered room. "Was that okay?" I asked, not sure if I was even supposed to or allowed to fancy her.

"It was perfect," she beamed, a pink blush glowing on her cheeks. "It feels like the sun is shining in me." Without missing a beat, we both leaned back in for another kiss. She giggled, sending a warm shiver through my body. When we pulled away again, the flowers began to glow as well, turning from white to gold. I pressed my forehead against hers again, not wanting the moment to end. "I don't want you to go, but you must. You'll be late for your break-in if you stay any longer."

I frowned. "It doesn't feel like anythin' else matters right now."

She blushed, but then met my disheartened expression. "I know what you mean, but you must. Your brother is waiting for you."

_Of course she knew._ I got to my feet and helped her up, picking up the box and handing it to her when she was ready. "I know." I kissed her cheek. She wrapped her hand around the back of my neck and pulled me down for a real kiss. When she pulled away, her flowers were a soft pink. "You're makin' it difficult to leave."

She kissed my cheek. "Sorry. I can't help it," she beamed. "Thank you for staying to help."

"If this is the payment for being a chore boy, I'll be back more often," I smirked. "I can't wait for you to be at Penderghast."

"How do you know I will get in?" she asked, pulling away to put her box down.

"You've worked incredibly hard for it. There's no doubt in my mind you'll get in," I said firmly.

She smiled. "You're right. I just have to stay positive."

"I still haven't paid you for this," I looked down at the leather ensemble she'd picked out for me.

"That's easily taken care of," she smirked and turned towards me once more, taking the hem of the shirt in her fingers. She looked up into my eyes, her whole face glowing like a night light. She bit her lip shyly and stood on her toes to kiss me.

"I don't know if that's a fair trade. This is a rather nice outfit," I joked, still expecting to actually pay her.

"It's fair," she said simply. I gave her one last peck before I had to leave. Atlas was going to throw a fit if I was late. As I approached the door, she said, "I hope you find what you're looking for tonight."

I turned around, not wanting to leave again. "I think I will," I smiled sweetly before heading back out to Penn Square.

The sun was setting as I made it back to my dorm. Atlas was ready to go, but we had to wait a little while longer for the cover of night. When it was dark enough, we snuck out of the dorm and across the campus to the main building. Even with all the candles flickering about, the foyer was eerie and still. What was even more creepy, was the sentry standing near the main door. His head screeched slowly from side to side. It made the main hall feel like a haunted mansion.

Atlas and I hid behind a pillar as soon as we entered, trying to avoid the sentry as much as possible. If we were spotted, that'd be the end of it. "What's the plan?" I whispered.

"I'll kill the lights, so it can't see us. Then we'll just have to sneak around it," he said.

I nodded, thinking about how both of our footsteps didn't make a sound the entire way across the courtyard. "Piece of cake."

"If it catches us, that's the end of it," he warned.

"Then stop talking," I rebutted.

He pursed his lips for a second then raised his hand. With a silent snap, the sconces flickered out into darkness.

"Who goes there?" the sentry's voice echoed through its armour and out into the room. We said not a word and stuck our heads around either side of the pillar to get an idea of where we were headed. The sentry began to hum as lights began to glow inside the armour and through the helm like a light house. Its head began to turn towards us and we both ducked back behind the pillar. Atlas tapped my shoulder, gesturing for me to move, before making himself float up to the ceiling and over to the deeper shadows of the foyer. I took a few steps back towards the wall. _I hope these clothes work._ Once I was enveloped in shadow, I began to inch silently towards the staircase in the centre of the room, keeping to the walls. "No visual anomalies. Checking perimeter now." The light dissipated, allowing me to run over to my brother a lot faster. I thought we were in the clear, but the sentry took a step off of his platform and began to patrol the room. I couldn't see it in the darkness, but I could hear its general location. _Where is it?_ Just then, I felt my brother's hands on my shoulders, pushing me to the right. I let him direct me until we got around the corner into the hallway. "Perimeter clear. Returning to post." We both let out a quick sigh and turned towards the hall, but the step Atlas took caused the wooden floorboard to creak. In the soft light from around the corner, I saw his eyes go wide. We both froze, praying we wouldn't get caught. There was silence. No clanking, no echoing voice, just silence. I nodded for us to continue and kept close to the walls where the floor was better supported, a trick I'd learnt sneaking into the kitchen late at night when I was a child. Atlas followed my lead as we rounded the corner. "All clear," was the last thing we heard echo down the corridor.

"We did it," I sighed silently, my heart racing.

"Not bad, Percy. Seems like you're getting the hang of this," Atlas complimented.

I shrugged. "Sneakin' down the stairs for a midnight snack seems to be more useful then my mum seemed to think," I chortled softly, still trying to keep my volume down. A new humming sound caught both of our attention as Professor Englund entered the corridor, facing away from us. Atlas grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into one of the alcoves beside a classroom door. "Alright, we just have to deal with him somehow."

"I'll disguise you as the dean and you'll get him to let us inside," Atlas said simply, like it was the easiest plan in the world.

"I still can't believe you can do that," I shook my head in disbelief, even though he'd told me about this plan nearly an hour prior.

"Well, believe it. I've been studying advanced magic since I was five," he stared blankly at me, I thought, to gloat about how far above me in his studies he was. "But remember, I can only make the spell last for five minutes. You'll have to convince him before the spell wears off."

"And there's no guarantee that he'll stay away, even if the dean tells him to, so we have to be quick," I agreed.

"Do you have anything that we could use to distract him?" he asked, looking for a backup plan.

I pursed my lip. "Actually… I do," I pulled out the red marble I'd gotten from Aster on my first day. "Maybe this could help. A fire spell would definitely be distractin', but one of us would have to stay behind to use it."

"Not necessarily," he took the orb and eyeballed it. "I can charm it to have a delayed effect. That would buy us more time once we're inside."

"Sure," I nodded.

He closed his eyes, holding the marble up to his face, but still a forearm's distance away. The glass orb began to glow and pulse. When he opened his eyes, he said, "Be right back," with a smirk and disappeared into the shadow of the wall. He came back nearly a minute later with a renewed seriousness. "Alright, that's in place. Let's get moving, so it doesn't go off _before_ we're inside." He put his hand on my shoulder and faced me. "Think about how the dean speaks, otherwise the spell won't work properly."

I closed my eyes and remembered getting reamed out with Beckett. "_I'm not a woman known for second chances,"_ was the quote that rang through my head. I could feel a cool, almost watery magic flow through me from his hand. I looked down at my arms, now covered by black polyester sleeves with twirled golden trim. "How do I look?" I smirked. I was a lot shorter now, which was almost disconcerting.

"Exactly as you're supposed to, but remember to stay in character. One slip up and it will wear off faster than you can blink," he warned. "Can you mimic her voice?"

I thought for a second about how she phrased her words. I stared blankly up at him, trying to invoke a cold soul. "I'm not a woman known for second chances," I said, curling my lip just the slightest bit and rounding my words out into an Americanised Oxford accent.

"That's…," he shook his head briefly. "Very good. Now, cut the chit-chat. You've only got five minutes," he said with renewed sternness before pushing me out to the hallway.

I straightened my blazer and turned my nose up, getting into character as I walked towards my professor.

"Ah, Dean Goeffe. I didn't expect to see you tonight. How are you?" he smiled when he saw me approach.

"I'm just fine, thank you," I nodded curtly.

"I'm glad to see you aren't too shaken up by what's happened," he said, clearly concerned.

"I'm actually in a hurry, so I'd appreciate it if we could keep this short," I held up a hand just below my chest to cut the small talk.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, right, of course. You're a very busy woman. I don't imagine you came down here just to chat with me."

"No, actually. I need to examine the Hall of Mirrors," I said, trying to look authoritative.

His brows furrowed. "Really? But I thought you wanted to keep the room quarantined, just to be safe. We don't want to risk another act of vandalism, especially since some poor students got caught in the crossfire. They must have been so frightened," he shook his head sombrely and looked towards the large wooden doors behind him. "Why do you need to go inside? The investigators already finished their report."

"I'm here to double check their results," I said firmly. "I don't trust those amateurs. We need a thorough investigation to ensure such a breach in our security doesn't happen again."

"Understood," he nodded. "I can only hope we'll have this fully resolved soon. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I made a move towards the doors. "Yes, you can leave me alone," I spoke casually, reaching for the handle.

"Are you sure? I promise you, I could be of some assistance," he seemed shocked by my words. I got a bit nervous, wondering if I'd said something wrong, but then I looked at my hand. If I had said something out of character, the spell would have disappeared by now.

"Are you implying I can't handle this myself?" I asked, facing him once more.

He stumbled back by a step and held his hands up in surrender. "No, not at all, Dean. I was just trying to make myself useful."

"If I need assistance, I will ask for it," I said coldly. "Until then, I would prefer if you leave me in peace."

"Well, don't let me get in your way, ma'am," he smiled and tucked his hands behind his back like a shy boy. "The room is all yours. Just holler if you need me."

"I doubt that will be necessary," I said, but nodded him off. As he turned away, I thought of one more thing I needed to ask him that could be of use. "Actually," I started, "I do have one request." As he turned back around, I put my hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. "I need you to tell me everything you know about what happened here," I spoke clearly, and the magic coursing through my veins began to run.

He smiled, almost as if in a trance. "Of course. As you know, almost all the mirrors inside the hall were damaged, but repairs were relatively simple, and the room is secure now. Thankfully, no-one was hurt. Only a few students were nearby when it happened. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We currently believe these were the acts of a single individual working alone, however, there's a strong chance that individual is still here at the college."

"Do you have a list of suspects?" I asked, still keeping his eyes. He hadn't blinked the whole time I was interrogating him, which was a bit unsettling.

"Not yet, but based on the level of magic used, the individual is most likely a member of the staff or an upperclassman," he informed me. His face began to look exhausted and his eyes began to turn red. I took my hand swiftly from his shoulder and straightened my blazer.

"Very well. That is all, thank you," I nodded curtly.

He nodded back and turned on his heel down the hall, rubbing his eyes for a moment before humming to himself again.

Atlas ran over to me and patted my back. "Not bad. I'm impressed," he smiled proudly. "But I don't think he's going to stay gone for long," he jerked his head towards the doors. I nodded and we both entered the Hall of Mirrors.

As the door closed, the mirage spell lost effect and faded away, giving me my hands and height back. I looked around the room. It was the same as it had been before I got sucked into the mirror dimension. "It didn't take them long to repair everythin'," I muttered. "Why is it still blocked off? There doesn't seem to be much evidence left to collect."

"There is," he said bluntly. "You just have to have the right supplies." He pulled a handful of strange objects out of his pocket and crushed them together in his fist. The dust created drafted out of his hand and around the room. "See?" The dust created a fog over the room and lit up certain parts of the room like they were under blacklight. "This is a moon spell that lets you see magic that's been used recently."

A loud explosion caused us both to spin around. Professor Englund had found our decoy. We were running out of time. "We have to hurry."

"That should keep him busy for a while. Start looking around," Atlas ordered.

I glanced around the room, trying to make sense of the rave lights floating around the room in different coloured strands. Two trails caught my eye. They were thicker and brighter than the others, one a soft silver, and the other a deep black. The silver one zig-zagged around the room before hitting the centre of a mirror, and the black was a thick, straight line that intersected with the silver going into the mirror. The same mirror that had shattered. The same mirror that had pulled me in. I was curious, so I took a step forward, but I was terrified that I'd be pulled back into the mirror dimension. What I'd faced in there… it gave me nightmares. The mirror gave off an atrocious glow, an ominous light that made me uneasy.

"Percy! Come look at this!" Atlas pointed to a trail of lights that chased each other through the air and crashed into the same mirror I'd been looking at. The ominous glow became worse, the edges flickering with darkness where they'd once been cracked.

"Why is it doin' that?" I asked, really not wanting the answer. I knew it wasn't going to be good.

"Because someone sabotaged it. Someone took the wards off," he explained. I knew I didn't want to know…

"Which means…," I dared to ask.

"The wards are the protective shield that prevents intruders from just showing up on campus," he said. "Every mirror is supposed to have them. Without them, the monsters could just walk right in. Hell, Raife himself could have come to get you."

"Then why hasn't he?" I asked.

He shook his head, uncertain. "The wards can only be taken down on this side of the portal. You'd have to be on the school grounds to manipulate them. That's why I got stuck in the mirror dimension. I couldn't take the wards down from that side, not to mention that only a select number of people know how to manipulate wards, since the magic is so complex."

"So, you're sayin' that someone at the academy is responsible for this," I reasoned.

His face contorted into anger. "There's someone powerful inside Penderghast who wants you dead."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: In the Dark

Atlas and I were making our way back to my dorm room when we found Griffin and Zeph murmuring to each other near the end of the stairs. _Why are you two out here so late?_ Atlas changed direction suddenly and leapt behind a bush. I slowed my pace and tried to get closer without being obvious. I was able to catch a few pieces of their conversation.

"I'm just saying, you can't tell _anyone_-"

"I heard you loud and clear the first time, man," Zeph frowned. "Believe me, my lips are sealed."

I took a step forward, hoping my stealthy clothes would be enough to hear more, but I stood on a twig and both of them saw me.

"Percy! What- what's up?!" Zeph tried to casually lean against the lamp post, but he was so nervous that he missed it and fumbled to catch himself.

I walked over to them in the light. "I feel like that's my line. What are you two up to so late?"

Griffin leant against the short stone wall that followed the stairs up to the dorm door and smiled at me, crossing his arms. "Just hanging out. You know, like us… hanging out."

I tried not to snigger at how bad they were at keeping secrets. "_Right._ What are you _really_ up to?" I eyed them suspiciously. Griffin's face dropped, but he tried to force the smile back. He looked over at Zeph like he needed an assist, but Zeph didn't have anything and shook his head. "Were you talking about me just now?" I frowned, the anxiety from all my friends acting overly bizarre sinking in.

"No, Percy, it's not like that. It's just… a … a-," Griffin tried to cover, his smile gone. He tried to speak again, but his eyes suddenly went wide and he sneezed quite loudly and multicoloured lights sprayed out of every orifice in his body.

"Did… Did you just sneeze light?" I asked, wide-eyed as well.

"Uh, sorry guys! I have to- I have… uh… I have a cold!" he panicked and sprinted past me, holding his hand over his mouth.

I watched him fly by me in shock, then turned back to Zeph for an explanation. "Zeph, is everythin' okay?"

"Everything is fine, Perc. We're just tired," he said with a cool expression.

"Alright, that settles it. Somethin' is wrong," I tilted my head with concern. "If you ever need to talk, you know you can come to me, right Zeph?"

"Perc," he paused, looking uncomfortable again. "Honestly, everything's fine! No offense, but my business isn't yours." I furrowed my brows at him. I may not have known him for that long, but in the few months we'd spent together, I'd never heard him or seen him act that way. "Besides, you probably don't want me to ask what _you've_ been up to," he eyed my clothes. "Nice look, but I bet the enchantment on it isn't just for show."

"I-," I stammered. I couldn't tell him. He was right.

"Thought so," he huffed. "We all have our secrets, Percy. I'll let you keep yours if you let me keep mine." Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and marched up the stairs.

I stood there in shock for another few moments before Atlas crawled out of the bush and pushed me towards the door. We didn't speak until we got to the hallway. The desk clerk wasn't there, so we were able to just walk right in.

"That wasn't suspicious or anything," Atlas said sarcastically. My stomach turned. I couldn't even say anything until we got to the common room.

"Zeph said that it wasn't my business, and he's right, but it's…," I sighed. "It's not my place to go meddlin' in whatever he's got goin' on."

"But what if it _is_ your business?" Atlas argued, looking around for Shreya. She hadn't been in the common room for quite a while. "You saw how Griffin ran off, too. What if they were talking about you?"

"I'd rather trust my friends," I said softly as I approached the multi-door. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you that it's better to be worried about others and not just yourself?"

"I've been taught to stay alive. Sometimes a bit of paranoia is the difference between living and being betrayed by someone you trusted," he hissed defensively.

When we got in my room, I leaned against the back of the door. Atlas flopped onto my bed and kicked his shoes off. "Can we talk about the Hall of Mirrors instead? You said someone on campus took the wards down?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but only a very adept Attuned could have had any hope of removing that mirror's ward entirely."

"Who?" I asked, feeling tired suddenly. "And don't say my friends because that's a stretch, even with what we've seen. We're all underclassmen. We haven't learnt how to breach magical security systems." _Though, Beckett is an advanced study…_

"You don't know that," he argued, "but this school is filled with competent faculty. It's hard to say at this point."

I sighed and slumped into my desk chair. "Great, so when it isn't my friends, it's a staff member. Good on you, makin' me feel safer."

"What's really interesting," he continued, "is those two magic signatures we saw."

I sat up. "Yeah, what was all that about? Did you see a black one and a silver one as well?"

"I did, and I'll admit that I'm surprised," he sat up and leaned against his knees. "And extremely troubled. If we have two people working against us…" He trailed off, looking at the floating lights on the ceiling with a faraway expression.

I let my head hit the desk and turned to look at the two halves of the photo I'd left out. "I need sleep. My brain feels like it could combust at any moment."

Atlas slid off the bed and pulled his sleeping bag out from the closet behind me. "That's probably for the best. You have classes tomorrow." He laid his bag out on the floor. "I'll think on all this in the meantime." I stood and began to undress for bed. "Remember, Percy, you can't let your guard down, even around your friends. We don't know who's behind all this, but the signs point to someone close."

I sighed again. "Right." I hopped into bed and pulled the covers over my head. Even when we finally stopped talking, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned for a while before I was finally too tired for even that.

The next morning, I woke up exhausted. I'd barely slept and, even when I had, I'd dreamt of dark shadows and my friends turning on me. The only thing making me actually wake up was the large arylu laying across my chest licking my face. "Orien!" I laughed groggily as I pushed his face away from mine. He readjusted himself and rested his head on my lap. "Five more minutes, buddy," I rolled over, but my lively companion wasn't having it. He jumped up and towered over me, nudging my arm with his nose.

"You _could_ use this time to train," my lovely brother's voice cut through the cute whines of the mighty Orien. "You're up against someone who's strong enough to tamper with school wards, remember?"

"Why are you awake?" I groaned. "Go back to sleep."

"I haven't been to sleep. I've been up all night thinking, so now that _you're_ up, _I'm_ gonna sleep," he said, pushing me out of the way so he could use my bed.

"Bugger off!" I snatched my pillow from under my own head and beat him with it lazily.

He took it from my hand and nuzzled into it. "Swan is an early bird. She'll be thrilled if you stop by."

I groaned again and kicked the covers so hard that they flew to the end of the bed, leaving my twin uncovered. He grumbled, but didn't move. _He's tryin' to be such a hard man._ "I suppose I could get in some practice," I opened the curtains, letting sunlight flood the room, filling me with energy, but brassing off my brother immensely. "And she might know about the mirror bein' sabotaged."

"Do _not_ tell her what we've been up to," he whirled around and glared at me.

I rolled my eyes at him and pulled on some clothes. Orien jumped in a few circles on the rug then hopped up next to Atlas' head, looking at him curiously. "Come on, bud," I gestured for him to follow me and he jumped down, looking back at Atlas. Before we left the room, I pulled the covers back over him. "Sleep well, Atlas," I patted his head, intentionally annoying him as I left.

Out in the common room, I began to make myself some tea. When I turned around to grab my bag and head out, I caught Shreya and Zeph opening the multi-door to Penn Square.

"Percy! That makes three of us in the early bird club this morning," Shreya beamed, looking brighter than ever. Orien stood proudly and made a huffing noise. "Four of us. Sorry, boy."

"I wouldn't trade my sleep for it on the regular, but I guess seeing the sun come up now and then is pretty cool," Zeph took a step forward and stretched his hand out to Orien. "You're bigger than the last time I saw you, huh." Without needing to sniff, Orien went straight in for affection.

I smiled. If Orien thought everything was okay, it had to be, right? "Mornin'. Why are you two up so early?" I asked, sipping at my tea.

"Sometimes a Mistry just has to schedule extra hours into her day to get everything done," Shreya flipped her hair and put a hand on her hip, looking ready for the day.

"I didn't sleep well," Zeph said, hugging Orien. "Figured I'd get myself a croissant from Penn Square as a consolation prize and start my day right."

"That sounds good," I agreed.

He chuckled. "I did _not_ expect to be dragged into shopping for-"

Shreya waved her hands in his face with a loud, "Shhh!" As quickly as she'd done it, she spun back around to me like everything was fine, replacing the hand on her hip. "Oh, Percy! Aster mentioned a cool Fae garden she wanted to show you. She thinks you'd like it, with your Sun energy and all." She smirked knowingly. "Things are slow at the shop in the mornings. You could go visit her now."

"Actually, since we're both up," Zeph stood up from playing with Orien, who returned to my feet shortly after, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to practice Thief together, since we never really get to."

"Yeah," I smiled. "That sounds great, but I was plannin' on doin' some… homework that I didn't get around to last night."

"Why not do it all?" Shreya suggested. "Do you realise how early it is? You have plenty of time before class, and I always say, 'a social life isn't a social life unless it's packed,'" she beamed.

I shrugged and ran my fingers mindlessly over Orien's long horns and ears. "You have a good point. With all these options, the day's shapin' up to be a good one," I joked, thinking a bit too much about how everything could easily go wrong. "I'll give you time to get your breakfast, Zeph, then I'll meet you at the pitch. I think I'm gonna visit Aster first," I decided.

"Mhm," Shreya wiggled her eyebrows. "She'll enjoy your company."

I blushed a bit and tried to avoid her eyes. "I wonder what a Fae garden looks like."

"Magical, probably," Zeph shrugged.

We said our goodbyes once we got through the door to Penn Square. Shreya and Zeph went off towards the shopping district, and I headed over to Aster's shop. When I entered Maison D'Yew, Aster was behind the counter. She gasped when she saw me and dropped what she was doing to greet me.

"Percy! I thought I felt your energy approaching! I was just thinking about you earlier!" she beamed and wrapped her arms around my waist.

I hugged her back, enjoying the smell of her flowering hair. "Shreya said you had someplace to show me. I figured I'd stop by to see if you were still thinkin' of takin' me."

She pulled away only enough to look up at me. "Oh, I am! I've been thinking of taking you since the moment you stepped inside this shop the first time. In fact, I've never been more excited in my life!" She let me go and ran around the counter to grab a wicker basket with a cloth over it. The leaves in her hair danced with excitement as she skipped back over to me, taking my hand and pulling me out of the shop, only stopping to flip the open sign around.

She pulled me through the cobbled streets of Penn Square until we reached the end of a road and breached the treeline. She led me through the woods for quite a way until we reached a clearing filled with colourful flowers that hadn't existed in the woods around it. Various flowers lined a short, grassy path through the garden. Several natural arches had formed from the growth of vines and roses. Hidden in each bush and bundle were tiny little houses, no bigger than gingerbread houses. They were made of clay, sticks, nutshells, and leaves. If the sight weren't outstanding enough, a sparkling dust lingered in the air and everywhere around us sounded like a symphony of windchimes.

"Blimey," was all I could manage to say. "Aster, this place is brilliant."

She grinned widely and spun around in front of me, holding up the basket for me to look into. "I often do errands for the Fae. Today, I'm going to be setting up a new house for a newly-bonded Fae family."

I looked around and noticed little fairy-like creatures watching me through the thimble sized windows of their foot-tall houses. "This place is so magical. I don't know if I've ever felt this relaxed before."

Aster set her basket down and pulled the cloth off, setting it to the side. Inside the basket were bundles of twigs, twine, seashells, grass, and nutshells. I sat beside her, careful of where I was putting my weight as to avoid crushing any tiny Fae creatures or homes or flowers. I watched her as she began to set up the foundation for the new home. "Aster, how long have you been comin' here?"

"I took over for my mother when she had to start helping my younger brother get ready to wiggle his roots. It's been a year or so now," she explained, focusing cutely on the construction of the house.

"Wait, do you mean your kid brother is gonna be mobile soon?" I asked.

She nodded. "It shouldn't be much longer now. It's a slow process, since roots must be very gently uprooted. My mother has been very busy," she said. "But because of that, I've been lucky enough to spend many days in this beautiful place," she looked around and sighed happily. Then she looked back down at the two twigs she'd been bracing together. "The truth is, being one of the only mobile nymphs my age in my entire colony can get very lonely. That's why I like the Fae forest so much. I don't feel as alone when I'm here, so I do errands as often as I can."

"That's why you like runnin' Maison D'Yew so much as well?"

She nodded sombrely. "It is. Though, seeing so many people my age who are students, who have friends… it reminds me of how isolated I really am."

I reached my hand out to hers and held it lovingly. "Aster, believe me, I know the feeling of watching the people around you and feeling disconnected from all of them."

She beamed shyly up at me and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I've been much happier since meeting you. Your friends are lovely, too."

"I've been happier since meetin' you as well. I'm glad to know you," I couldn't take my eyes off of her. From her flowers to her eyes to the glow in her cheeks…

"Having friends is so wonderful!" she cheered. "I hope I'll get to share even more parts of my life with you." She caught me staring and looked away at the Fae, who were now coming out. They were still weary of me, I suppose, but they were curious. The leaves in her hair suddenly rustled as though she'd thought of something exciting. "By the way, did you know that Attuned aren't actually allowed in the Fae's part of the forest?"

"Oh," I suddenly felt bad. "Why did they let me in then? Should I leave? I didn't mean to intrude."

Aster giggled. "They let you in because you're with me. Consider yourself very lucky, Percy. You're the very first Attuned to have this opportunity in recent history."

I rubbed the back of my neck anxiously. "You're makin' me nervous. I'm just grateful that you brought me along." I looked around at all the curious balls of light hovering around us. "Aster," I looked back at her, just as nervous about what I was about to ask. "Is this a date?"

She ducked her head and giggled shyly. "You've seen through my intentions. I hope that's okay."

I beamed back at her. "It's more than okay, but I don't know how I'm gonna top this in the future," I looked around again. When I caught her eye, I leant my shoulder against hers. "I'm sayin' we should go on dates more often," I whispered.

She giggled sweetly. "I would love to. I hope you'll show me some of your favourite Attuned haunts."

She went back to her building, humming to herself sweetly as she took out a bundle of dried grass and twine from her basket. She showed me how to make a thatched roof for the little house while she told me more about her adventures in the woods.

"It sounds like the wood nymphs and the Fae have a special relationship with each other," I observed.

She nodded. "Oh, yes. We've been neighbours in this forest for quite some time. They pollinate the trees, and we protect them from predators."

"What hunts a Fae?" I asked, honestly curious.

"Oh, the usual," she began. "Any wild animals that prey on small creatures… and… humans," she frowned.

"Humans? Why?" I was taken aback by my own people. Who could hurt such delicate and beautiful creatures?

"Attuneless humans are enchanted by myths about 'fairies' and when they find Fae, they trap them and take them away," she looked like she might cry. "Fae live short lives when separated from their communities, so it's practically impossible to save any who have been taken."

I thought about my own childhood. I'd heard so many stories about mythological creatures, mermaids, fairies, syrens, satyrs, centaurs… and they all turned out to be real… It made my soul cringe remembering old men telling their stories at the pubs and taverns about catching any of these creatures. Now that I knew they existed, I couldn't laugh at those stories anymore. "That's awful."

"And there are Attuned who try to exploit Fae magic, or even worse, keep Fae as pets," she continued. "Those Fae meet the same fate as the ones taken by the Attuneless." She looked over at me, sorrowful and hurt. "Wood nymphs have also suffered at the hands of humans. Rooted nymphs used to be cut down, our bodies used to make wands."

"So that's what the Wand Wars were about," I deduced. "That's…." I couldn't even find the word for how horrible that was. I mean, they were _people_, and _people_ killed them just to make some silly magical twigs that we don't use anyway. Humans are known for being just as evil as they can be good, but that didn't make it less shocking to hear about the cruelty.

"It's terrible. The Wand Wars are a violent part of our history that we shudder to remember," she said, continuing to build the house in silence.

"And that's why your father doesn't trust us and doesn't want you at Penderghast," I nodded in understanding, but it was a horrible thing to learn about. "It all makes sense. I can hardly believe you trust me, or any other human, or that you _want_ to study at Penderghast."

"You're a single person, Percy," she looked up at me, completely serious. "Each human is. I find it easier to measure a person by their own traits. It makes the world seem less harrowing. It's difficult to balance history with the present. There is no unmuddied way forward, but I don't want that to stop me from moving forward at all."

"You're far too wise for your years," I smiled. "Still, and I know this isn't worth much, but I'm sorry for everythin' humans did to your people."

She took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "Your kindness, as always, is appreciated. Now, I'd like to get back to happier topics, if you don't mind," she shook her head, trying to get the negative thoughts out. "Help me make this front door, then we'll put the roof on."

I nodded and began supplying the materials needed to make the door. "Aster, I'm glad this place makes you happy. It's great that you have somewhere peaceful like this to get away to."

"But it's even better to bring someone I care about along," she beamed. "I haven't had this much fun on an errand in a long time."

We both examined the door, knowing what it needed, and reached for the same twig at the same time. When our hands touched, I took hers in mine. "Can… Can I kiss you?" I asked, looking at her sparkling eyes. _Real cheesy, Perc. Real smooth._

"I would love that," she leaned forward to meet me, her hand cupping my cheek as mine caressed high on her neck. Her lips were just as soft as the night before and she smelt better than the entire Fae garden. She giggled as we kissed, and a hundred tiny voices rang through the woods around us, cooing and cheering. When we pulled apart, we noticed the bushes next to us rustle. We both erupted into laughter. "Oh, they are so silly," she giggled. "I have a secret for you, Percy. The Fae are utter romantics."

I just adored her smile. I brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and rubbed my thumb along her cheek. "Then they'll love this," I whispered, leaning back in and meeting her lips. With renewed enthusiasm, she threw her arms around my shoulders and pushed me back into the grass. The Fae cooed from the bushes and giggled as we enjoyed each other's company. The flowers in her hair danced and turned a soft golden colour as her skin began to glow ever so slightly.

"Oops!" she laughed. "Forgive me. I shouldn't get so carried away," she blushed.

"Don't hear me complainin'," I bit the inside of my cheek as she lowered herself back down to my lips, holding her hair back with one hand. I held her side and traced her jaw line with my thumb.

Suddenly, a loud squeak made us break apart and look behind us. Near the incomplete house stood a family of Fae. One cleared his throat, his arms crossed and foot tapping. Aster suddenly sat up, leaving me feeling a bit rejected, but I'd get over it. "Prim! Peony! Thorne!" she beamed at them. "I wasn't expecting to see you today!" she grabbed my arm as I sat up and pulled me over to them. "This is Percy, who I was telling you about."

"Pleasure to meet you," I bowed my head politely. They fluttered over to me, inspecting my features and reactions as glittery dust fell from their wings, leaving a trail of where they'd once been. When they were through looking me over, one of them landed on Aster's shoulder and whispered something to her. She giggled and looked up at me.

"You intrigue them, Percy," she beamed. "They sense a similarity between us. It must be because you're Wood-Attuned."

"They can sense Attunements? Mint," I gave an impressed smile.

"They say thank you for the help, and they think they'd like to see you again sometime," she translated as the Fae continued to whisper in her ear.

I sat all the way up and crossed my legs. "That would be wonderful. I hope you three like your new home."

The Fae whispered something else, but Aster wouldn't translate it. She just giggled relentlessly. The three of them left her shoulders and entered their house, only to peer at us through the windows.

"Ever the curious ones," Aster smiled adoringly at them. "They'll get over their shyness soon, but we should let them move in for now."

"And you can't leave your shop unattended for much longer," I stood up and offered her my hand. "I'll walk you back."

The walk back wasn't nearly as long as I'd hoped it would have been, but it was for the best. Maison D'Yew had to be open to cater to all the odd needs of the magic community. I dropped her off at the store then gave her a quick kiss goodbye and headed back to my room to get my bag, my jersey, and my arylu. I had to be careful not to wake my brother, but it was interesting to see him sleeping. He actually looked peaceful for once.

"I hope Zeph is still at the pitch," I whispered to myself as I left the dorm.

I ran over to the Thief arena, where Zeph was found sitting on the bench drinking a bottle of water. He waved when he saw me. "Yeah! I knew you'd show up!" he hollered excitedly.

"You're sat down already? Don't they say that once you sit, it's that much harder to stand back up again?" I asked, high-fiving him as we came within reach of each other.

He stood with a groan. "I'll admit, practice is going slower than I would have thought. I kind of underestimated how tired I'd be after a whole night of not sleeping. Exercising doesn't sound so appealing now that I'm here."

"I know the perfect remedy," I smirked. "On varsity, Captain has us start each practice with five gruelling minutes of intense cardio."

He grimaced. "That sounds scary…"

I patted him on the back and led him out to the field. "C'mon, mate. It gets the blood pumpin'. You'll thank me after."

"I highly doubt that, but alright. What are we gonna do for five minutes?" he asked, clapping his hands together to get himself hyped up.

I grinned devilishly. "Burpees, mate."

His face fell. "No."

I nodded. "Oh, yeah. When it starts hurtin', remember what Cap always tells us. The burn in your thighs is nothin' compared to the burn of your spirit!"

"If my spirit burns out doing this, I bestow my beloved Brisbee upon you. It's my most prized possession," he joked, slapping himself on the cheeks to get ready.

I laughed. "You'll be fine. Now, on my count. Three… Two… One…" We dropped to the ground and threw our legs out then pulled them back up and jumped back to our feet, repeating the process a few times until sweat dripped down our faces.

"My legs! My arms! My everything!" Zeph huffed, leaning on his knees.

"Almost done," I said, feeling energised. "Pain lets you know your body's workin'," I did some high-knees in place to keep my heartrate up.

"Is that… another one of the captain's sayings?" he asked, standing up straight and stretching backwards. "I think he's crazy!"

"No, that's mine, now get those knees up," I ordered with a smile. He forced his knees up to hit his hands just below chest level. "Three… two… one… Done!" I called, stopping to lean on my own knees.

Zeph fell backwards onto the grass, arms and legs stretched out. "Is _this_ what it takes to play varsity?"

I grabbed my water and sat next to him. "It did me in at first as well, but you get used to it. Admit it," I looked down at his exhausted form, "you feel more awake now."

"Awake, yes. Refreshed, no. I feel like I've just been KO'd twenty times in a row in Street Fighter!" he groaned. I took my water bottle and poured a bit on his head. "Oh, that's nice."

"Get some water," I stood and made my way to the control panel for the pitch. "It's game time."

He jumped up and chugged his water before answering me. "Pull the lever, Kronk!" I pushed the button and the dome disappeared, revealing a farm filled with wildflowers. When I jogged over to him, he said, "Can I be honest about something?"

"Yeah, of course. You know you can tell me anythin'," I cocked my head, wondering if he'd talk about what happened the night prior.

"After not making varsity, I went back to ask the captain what I'd fallen short on," he started. "I figured I should know if I want to improve."

"Sure," I agreed.

"He said that I pretty much had the athleticism down, but that I didn't think like an Attuned on the field," he pursed his lip a bit.

"What's that mean?" I asked.

"It means I wasn't creative enough with my magic," he told me. "I didn't understand how to use it with my environment. It sucked to hear, but I've been practicing ever since. Coming out here and really figuring out how to work my magic into my surroundings has been helpful." He extended his arm out towards the field. "Here's a test for you. What kind of magic would you do here if a couple of players teamed up on you?"

I looked around at the wildflowers, a few oak trees, and a dirt path. Along the path, a fence bordered the grass, keeping most of the two sections separate. "I'd wrap them in the fence," I said, lifting both hands swiftly and doing a quick hand motion to make the wooden fence curl around my best mate.

"Alright! I'm impressed!" he yielded. "And kind of weirded out. It's not every day that you get a hug from a fence," he joked, stepping out from the newly curved wood.

"What would you have done, then?" I asked, crossing my arms in thought.

"I won't pretend I'm as great at other elements as I am with water, but you don't see any water around, do you?" he asked, but it seemed like a trick question. If that's what he was aiming for, there's water in the trees, plants, and soil he could use somehow. "Sometimes, going with the elements you can see means you aren't taking everything about the area into account. You've got to be aware of the _time of day_ you were transported to, too. And you know what I realised as soon as we got here?" he asked. I shrugged. "It's morning here. There's dew everywhere." _Brilliant. I hadn't thought of that._ Before I knew it, he'd raised his arms and summoned all the water droplets in the area to him, creating a large ball of water floating above his head.

"Mint… You're really quite brilliant, you know, Zeph?" I stared in awe. He lowered his arms, making the water sphere flatten, and it began to rain just on me. "Oi!" I laughed, as the water came down rather hard.

"I couldn't do anything half as cool with another element, but still, all my practice is paying off," he beamed. "Not to brag, or anything, but I'm the best player on JV."

I grinned back at him as I shook the water from my arms. "Not for long. With skills like that, you'll be on varsity in no time."

"Too bad there are only ever, like, five people at our games, but I look on the bright side," he said as I began to dry myself. "That's barely enough to boo me if I mess up."

"You're doin' that thing again, Zeph," I notified him when I finished blow drying my clothes and moved to my daps. "That fake happy thing. Stop doin' that. You're puttin' yourself down without even realisin' it."

His smile fell, and he sat down in the field of wildflowers. "JV is pretty great. My teammates are really nice, the captain is cool, and I have a lot of fun, but more than that, I think it's a good lesson for me," he said coolly. "It's making me come to terms with the part that doesn't know how to deal with not being good at stuff, with having my confidence stolen."

"I don't think you're alone in that," I sat next to him and looked up at the blue morning sky, now feeling less damp. "No-one actually _likes_ not bein' good at stuff."

He sighed. "I know, and I'm working on putting in the energy to get better at things instead of just moping around about it, but it's tough. I'm so used to pretending that everything's okay, even when it's not. It's a hard habit to break."

"Tell me about somethin' good you've done this week," I glanced at him through the corner of my eye. "Besides figurin' out the time of day stuff. It's better to think of successes than failures."

He thought for a moment. "Well, I totally screwed up a spell in Englund's class the other day, but instead of laughing it off, I stayed after class for help."

"I'd reckon he was glad you did," I chuckled at the thought of Englund getting excited about supplementary lessons.

"Yeah," he chortled. "He was really cool about it! He didn't mind taking an extra fifteen minutes to explain the theory in a way I could understand better. In the end, I managed to cast the spell, and I wasn't embarrassed about having messed it up earlier. Instead, I felt proud of myself."

"You know what they say, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," I teased, but I meant it. I was proud of him.

"That's got to be the Tuneless version," he curled his nose up. "The Attuned say 'if you fail the first time, it's because you weren't meant to succeed until the second.'"

"That's so long. How is that memorable?" I asked just as the terrain shifted and palm trees took the place of the oaks and sand to the flowers.

Zeph took off his cleats and socks and dug his feet into the sand. "Anyway, the important thing is that I'm being more self-aware. It's a good feeling, trying to become a better version of yourself. I just hope I'm still the hilarious Zeph I've always been."

"I don't think you're in any danger of that," I smirked.

"Now that I've schooled you in Thief lessons, should we see if your skills are any better?" he positioned himself a few metres away from me.

"Are you suggestin' we spar?" I asked. "You sure you can handle all of this?" I gestured to myself and made a weak attempt at posing.

"You know it," he chuckled before summoning a rope of seawater that he controlled like a whip. "So, how would you counter me if we ran into each other in the arena?"

"Easy," I whispered, throwing sand up into the air to block his vision.

"Percy! It's in my mouth!" was all I heard through the sand column.

"Me, too!" I laughed, coughing and spitting the sand out. "Maybe this wasn't the best move!" I let the sand fall, showing both of us that the other was just as uncomfortable. I erupted into a fit, falling into the sand and holding my stomach.

"That wasn't very good," he scolded as he walked over to me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"But it distracted you enough for me to do this," I rolled onto my knees and grabbed onto the point on his waist where the flag would have been. "Got your flag."

He laughed. "I'd say we're pretty evenly matched. We'd be unstoppable on the same team."

"I can't wait. We _will_ play together next year," I said, standing up and dusting myself off.

"Thanks, Perc."

"Zeph," I started, a bit more serious. "Be honest with me about something."

His smile dropped immediately. I couldn't hazard a guess at what he thought I was going to ask. "About last night?"

I nodded. "Yeah, what was that all about?"

He sighed. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm not hiding something, but at this point, all I can say is that I hope you trust me and you'll let me handle it on my own for now."

"Of course," I nodded at his earnest expression. "But when you feel you need to talk about it, you know where to find me… most days," I smirked.

He chuckled. "I know. Thanks."

I nodded one more time before taking up a fun stance in the sand. "Great. Now, let's get back to sparrin' so we can get some grub."

We practiced for another half hour then picked up some snacks on our way back to the dorm. I took a quick shower then grabbed my bag and headed off to see Professor Swan. I only had an hour or so before class, so I had to hurry to make the most of it. I hastily made my way up to the Sun Room, where Swan was already meditating beside the crystal.

"Good morning, Perseus," she said pleasantly as I set my bag down near the door. "I knew you were on your way."

"Prescience?" I asked.

She peeked up at me through one eye and smirked. "Not quite. Your brother told me you'd be dropping in. I'm so happy to see you applying yourself to your studies."

"Well, you know me. Always focusin' on my studies," I joked, sitting in front of her and crossing my legs loosely. "And _maybe_ Atlas gives good advice every once in a while."

"I'll share a little secret with you," she grinned mischievously. "Atlas is proud of you. He told me so himself, on the condition I didn't tell you, of course."

I smirked. "Atlas sayin' somethin' brotherly? That's a bit scary," I joked.

"I've always found siblings so amusing," she said, shifting her position to focus more on me than on her meditation. "You and Atlas are quite the pair. Makes me wish I had a sibling of my own." After a moment of silence, she asked, "How are you this morning, Perseus?"

I shrugged, getting into my relaxed posture. "Honestly, there's a lot on my mind. Atlas told me to watch my friends and, as much as I don't believe they would do anythin' to hurt me, it's in my head now and I'm noticin' strange things they're doin'. It's unnerving."

"College is demanding," she said simply. "It sounds like your friends are each dealing with pressure of their own. Be there for them, be understanding, and be patient."

"Would you mind if I asked you somethin' else?" I leaned forward on my ankles.

"Of course! I'm your advisor, after all," she beamed. "I'd hoped you'd come to me more often so I could feel like I'm doing my job well."

I thought for a moment, knowing Atlas didn't want me speaking to her about the events that had transpired, but getting some around-the-bush information couldn't hurt. "What do you know about magical signatures?" I asked.

She gasped. "Wh-why do you ask?"

"Atlas tells me I'm too behind in my studies. He's tryin' to teach me magic theory, but it's beyond my level and I'm confused," I sort of lied. I did want to clarify things and Atlas was a terrible teacher.

She fixed herself and sighed. "I think he's getting ahead of himself, but I might be able to give you quick clarification." She traced out something on the floor to help her explain her point. "A magical signature is a trace of who cast a spell. Each person's signature is different, reflecting their Attunement and magic style," she explained. "They are invisible, and difficult to detect unless a spell was recently cast or was particularly powerful."

"That's… complicated," I furrowed my brow. "I feel like I only gave myself more to think about." That black streak was thick and solid. It had to be a powerful person.

"Perseus, you seem overwhelmed. How about you clear your mind for a moment?" she asked, putting herself back in a position for meditation. "Whenever I'm feeling out of sorts, meditating helps soothe any tension I may be feeling. I like reciting mantras, too. They help quiet my thoughts and ground me. For example, 'A sock without a pair is just an opportunity to make a new friend.'"

I chuckled as I closed my eyes. "I'm not sure I can be that profound, but I'll give it a go."

"Sometimes it helps to start with a simple phrase, like 'serenity' or 'bliss' or 'apple turnover,'" she snickered a bit. "Phrases that fill you with warmth." I laughed again. "How about you close your eyes, think of one thing that makes you feel totally at ease, and make that your mantra?"

"And it can be literally anythin'?" I asked just to confirm.

"Literally anything," she said. "So long as it relaxes you to think of it."

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing until images of thoughts began to flash through my head like sifting through and old photo album. I thought of everything from my favourite foods to my favourite music, then my thoughts shifted to the good times I'd had at Penderghast. I'd felt lost until I discovered magic. It'd been a bumpy road, but I was able to stop questioning myself about my own mental wellbeing. Shreya, Griffin, Zeph, Beckett, Orien, Atlas, my mum… Family. Family was the thing I cared about most. Not just who I was related to, but the people I chose to surround myself with. Knowing they were with me made me feel at ease. As I thought about the word, a warmth built up in my core and spread to my limbs. When I was completely relaxed, the prescience kicked in. I saw the Roost. I shrugged it off, not wanting to stress about anything at the moment. "Professor, could I ask one more question?"

"Please," she answered quickly.

"Why did you become a teacher?" I asked.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting something about myself," she seemed startled for a moment, but quickly eased back into her relaxed state. "Well, part of it had to do with wanting to come back here, to Penderghast. It's the place that feels the most like home to me."

I opened my eyes and watched her smile contently. "That's understandable. Even if it wasn't literally magical, there's somethin' special about this campus."

"I'm glad you feel the same way," she beamed. "The other reason I wanted to return was that I felt like I hadn't learnt all that I could yet. I'm a firm believer that one's academic journey is never done. I learn more from the students here than I teach them."

"Beckett would like you," I grinned to myself.

"Was that a good answer?" she asked tentatively.

"I don't think there's really a bad answer," I said. "I feel like I know you better now, though."

She smiled giddily. "How very thrilling. It's been a long time since I've bonded this much with a student."

We both closed our eyes and faded into our own meditations. Swan didn't stop smiling the whole time. It was a warm and kind smile, so I didn't mind, but my face probably didn't look nearly as peaceful. Too many things had happened in my life for me to retain a smile over long periods of time, but I didn't have to smile to be having a good time.

After a bit more meditation, I got up to stretch, feeling a lot better than I had when I'd woken up. "I'd better get goin', Professor. I think today might be a good day, and I've classes startin' in a bit."

She nodded. "Thank you for stopping by, Perseus. I'll let your other professors know that you've been putting in the extra practice. They'll be pleased to hear it."

"Thank you, Professor," I smiled as I grabbed my bag and headed out towards my first class of the day.

I took my seat beside Beckett in my Spellwork 1B class just before Professor Englund entered the room through the side door near his desk. Beck and I sat a bit closer to the back of the lecture style room than we had during the beginning of the semester, but that was because we talked more during class than we had before we were friends.

"Hello, class," Englund addressed us in his usual cheery manner, "and welcome to another _spellbinding_ lesson." The pun made the whole class groan. "Today, we'll be learning the Locator spell, which helps you find someone or something you've lost," _Well, that's handy…_, "as long as you have an object connected to that person or item."

"The locator spell is a metal spell," Beckett explained to me in a hushed tone. "This will be a piece of cake for me."

"I thought everythin' was supposed to be a piece of cake for you," I teased. He narrowed his eyes at me at first, but then looked away as if to admit that his confidence was all a façade.

"Let's say I need to locate Professor Kontos," Englund continued, "and I find his pan flute in his office. I could cast the locator spell, using his flute as my source, to find him."

I raised my hand. "Is the object to be somethin' they use often or somethin' important to them? Or both, I suppose?" I asked, wanting clarification.

"It's best to use something the person you're trying to find is attached to in some sentimental way," he answered. I nodded and began thinking of different purposes for the spell. "To use this spell, first, you must sense the Earth's magnetic pull and tune yourself toward it. Become magnetised," he began drawing out the steps on his white board, using small emblems for the elements required. "Then transfer that magnetic pull into your source item, so that _it_ becomes magnetised."

"So, it's like a compass?" I asked Beckett under my breath.

He nodded. "Exactly like a compass, only with the person in question set to North."

"Keep your goal in mind and your source item will tug you toward its origin, locating what you seek," Englund spun around to smile at the class.

Beckett's hand shot up. "Will we be attempting to find each other today, Professor?" he asked with a bright grin.

Englund nodded. "You sure will. Partner up, class! You'll each get a turn to search for your partner, who can hide anywhere on campus!" The class began murmuring and whispering, selecting who they wanted to work with. A few seats were shifted around before we began.

Beckett tapped my shoulder and handed me the watch from his wrist. "Hopefully you'll be able to track me with this," he said. "Though, if you can't find me in half an hour, don't expect me to keep waiting," he bit his cheek just after he said the words and averted his eyes. "I mean… er… I believe you will perform competently in this task."

I snorted. "Thanks for the confidence."

When the professor told the first set of students to leave the room, Beckett left his watch on my notebook with a bit of hesitancy, but ultimately trusted his prized possession to me. After a few minutes of the first set being gone, we were instructed to begin our searches. I held the watch in my hand and began to concentrate on the magnetic pull of the Earth. I was having a bit of trouble to start, being a Wood-Att does have its challenges, but I ended up doing alright. I could feel the energy of everything around me, like the charged ions were trying to pull me in every direction. I stood up from my desk and felt out the specific pull of the ground beneath me. Redirecting it into the watch was the easy part after finding the right charge to pull from. The watch began to shift out of my hand. In order to keep up with it, I had to keep moving and keep my fingers tightly around the strap. Once I got into the hallway, it pulled me down the stairs toward the foyer and out into the courtyard. I followed the watch's lead to the greenhouse Kontos taught in. I ended up circling around it a few times, not sure why I was walking the same path over and over.

"My mind is wondering. I need to focus," I told myself, giving my cheek a light slap. I thought about the time Beck and I worked together to pull resin out of the trees, that metallic feeling I got from him that day. The watch twitched a bit, but then pulled strongly toward a building on the far side of the quad. It was the Metal-Att building where Englund taught the Metal kids about their powers. "How predictable, Beck." I rounded the corner into the outdoor corridor and leant against a stone pillar, dangling the watch in my fingers as I smirked at my target.

"How did- That was rather fast!" he bolted upright from the pillar he'd been leaning against, his arms falling from their crossed position over his chest to awkwardly hanging by his sides, not sure if they should fold again or fumble with his pockets. He cleared his throat and straightened his blazer before shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. "Well done. Colour me impressed."

My jaw dropped mockingly. "Was that a compliment? To poor ol' me? On my metal magic?" I played.

"Don't make me take it back," he rolled his eyes.

I chuckled. "Too late. It's in my memory forever." I handed his watch back to him and watched as he carefully put it back around his wrist, inspecting for any new damage I may have inflicted upon it. "What were you thinkin' about? You looked quite stoic."

He turned his head away. "It doesn't matter." When he looked back at me, he extended his hand. "Give me your necklace."

"What? Why?" I objected, holding the sun pendant tightly between my thumb and forefinger.

"To switch roles, why else? It's my turn to find you," he explained simply.

"Oh, right," I nodded, looking down at my own most prized possession.

"I'll give it back in a bit. It won't take me long to find you," he reassured me. I nodded again and unhooked the clasp on the back, dropping it slowly into his hand like I was selling it for food. He closed his hand around it and stared blankly at me. "Go."

"Right, yeah," I said awkwardly then turned on my heel, looking back only once, to run off to the other side of campus. I hid outside behind the library under a window that looked into the history section. I stared blankly at the grass and ran my hand around my neck. It was odd to not have that necklace on. I'd worn it for as long as I could remember. When I was a child, it would hang down passed my chest, but as an adult, it sat closer to my collarbone.

"There you are," came a voice I hadn't been expecting. I looked up to find Atlas standing in the shadow of the building.

I jumped to my feet to meet his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be sleepin'."

"I was, but now I'm up," he said simply. "I need to talk to you about-"

"Wait!" I whispered harshly. "You can't be here!"

"Why?" he asked, confused. "It's not like anyone can see us here."

I shook my head. "Beck and I are doin' a thing for class, a locator spell, and he's on his way here just now," I explained. "You have to go. I'll talk to you after my classes or during lunch or somethin', but not here."

He sighed, but nodded in understanding. "Alright, but we talk when you're back at the dorm."

"Yes, yes," I agreed, pushing him back into the darker shadows around the corner.

Moments after he disappeared, Beckett came around the corner with a, "Found you."

"So you did," I smiled nervously and took my necklace back when he handed it to me.

"I told you it wouldn't take long," he smirked confidently.

When the two of us returned to the classroom, Professor Englund approached our desk. "How did it go, you two?"

"Piece of cake," I smiled, thinking it went rather well.

Beckett sat straight on the bench. "Percy's understating things, Professor," he started. "While his skills could always use some work-," he froze for a second and made a face I hadn't seen him make before. "Er, what I mean to say is… This was an exemplary display of his talent."

Both Englund and I raised a brow at him, but the professor let it go first. "Is that so? That's fantastic, Percy. I'm glad that you were able to grasp the spell with such ease," he praised, then walked over to the next pair who'd just re-entered the room.

I turned to Beckett, who was avoiding me and packing up his things. "Why are you actin' strange?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, like nothing happened.

"I mean, what was that just now?" I asked again. "You're bein' overly agreeable. It's not like you to be so… un-Beckett-ish. I mean, you've complimented me twice today, once to a professor. What's up with you?"

He furrowed his brow and sputtered a bit. "P-perhaps I've simply found that being thoughtful and supportive is… more fulfilling than not," he tried, but it still seemed very suspicious. He took a hasty step back, knocking a beaker over with his elbow. It fell from the desk onto the floor of the next row down and shattered. "Oh bugger!"

I pulled him back by his blazer when I noticed what the liquid in that beaker was doing. It was disintegrating the floorboards and everywhere else it'd spilt. "Crikey!" Part of the desk began to bubble into oblivion and a pen fell through the hole into the janitorial closet below.

"Look out!" Englund shouted, lunging up the stairs to us. "That's chimera spit left out from last class. Don't touch it!"

Beckett rolled up his sleeves quickly and held his hand out to the ever-growing hole. "No worries, I've got this." He grabbed at the air and pulled his hand back to his chest. The hole stopped growing, leaving only warped wood and a bad tripping hazard behind.

Englund's jaw dropped as he froze over the scene. "Mr. Harrington… Did you just vanish the chimera spit?" his wide eyes slowly turned on Beckett, who was now quite nervous and terrible at trying to hide it. "Not just clean it up, but actually _vanish_ it?"

"I… Yes, sir, I did," he stuttered.

"That is incredibly advanced magic!" Englund sounded half-impressed and half-panicked. "Where did you learn that spell?"

"Oh, er, I…," he sputtered, not sure if he was being praised or not. After a second, it was like a switch went off in his head, like his fight or flight banished his nerves to another dimension. He smiled proudly, completely composed. "It's just a little something my father taught me over the summer. Simple, really." Professor Englund stared at him a moment longer then let out a long sigh before silently picking up the pieces of shattered glass and wood chips.

I rounded on Beckett, eyeballing him suspiciously. When the professor took the pieces to the rubbish bin on the far side of the room, I said, "I thought you were here at Penderghast over the summer takin' classes."

"M-my father taught me the spell before I left, obviously," his eyes darted away, the nerves returning.

My suspicions growing, I narrowed my eyes. "Beckett… Where did you really learn that spell? Englund seems to think that spell is way beyond you."

His cocky smile came back. "Percy, relax. It's just a little spell. Don't worry about it."

I scoffed. "Seriously, Beckett? Stop lyin' to me, _please_. You're shit terrible at lyin'," I begged, sick of all the secrets my friends had been keeping from me. With all that had been going on with Atlas, Raife, and the shadows, I didn't know who I could trust, and they were making it incredibly difficult to trust them. "Just tell me the truth. Why have you been actin' off all day?"

He frowned, his eyes telling me he felt worse than he was letting on. "Sorry, Percy, but I've to get to my next class. I'll see you later." He threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave the room.

"You don't even have another class right now!" I yelled after him before storming out the other door. _I'm done with everyone's lies!_ Before I started down the hallway, I froze. A thought had hit me. _I wonder if that moon spell would work right now._ I spun around and marched over to my mate, spinning him around to meet my eyes. "I'm sorry, mate, but I can't drop this," I planted my hand firmly on his shoulder. "Tell me what's goin' on. I can trust you, can't I?"

Beckett blinked a few times, staring intensely into my eyes, then let out a sorrowful sigh. "There's no reason for me to be secretive with you. I know you're dependable. The truth is, I _have_ been practicing advanced magic in a secret location. Some of it is banned by the freshman curriculum, which is why I'm keeping my practicing it a secret."

I let out a relieved breath. "So it's not anythin' horrible. Thank god. But if it's banned, is it dangerous?"

"Hardly!" he scoffed. "Upperclassmen can practice it. It's unfair that I'm not allowed simply because I'm a first year," he huffed, but quickly looked apologetically at me. "Please don't tell anyone else, Percy, please. I don't feel as comfortable with them knowing, and cannot risk expulsion over this." He blinked a few times as the spell began to wear off, shaking his head a couple times.

I took my hand back and nodded to myself. _Same old Beckett._ "You don't need to hide bein' a keener from me. I know already, Beck," I chuckled.

He smiled thankfully. "Thanks, Percy. I suppose telling the truth does make one feel lighter. I'm glad I can trust you."

"Me, too," I turned to walk down the hall with him, patting his back. _Thank god._ After a bit of walking, Beckett began to speed ahead. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I need to find a place to review my spells. I have a practical in my Metal-Att seminar in one hour, and I want to make sure I'm prepared," he explained.

"You? Unprepared?" I laughed, keeping up with him. "Couldn't you just use the armoury? That's where you normally have Metal-Att classes, right?"

He shook his head. "Right before an exam, my classmates will be in there cramming and I need somewhere secluded and uncluttered." His head turned from side to side as we passed rooms, trying to find an empty one that would suffice. "One of the spells I want to practice involves objects hurtling around, and I can't risk hurting anyone or damaging property."

I smirked. "That sounds positively dangerous. Can I come?"

He simpered and slowed down a bit. "If that doesn't scare you off, I wouldn't mind you sticking around. I could use your help going over a few trickier spells… That is, if I find a place to work," he groaned when he saw yet another busy room. "Sadly, I'm out of ideas."

I smirked back at him. "I have an idea." I led him across campus and up the long stone stairway to the Sun-Att room. When he saw it, his jaw dropped.

"Are you sure this is alright?" he asked nervously.

"Why wouldn't it be? I'm the only Sun-Att on campus," I said simply.

"I wasn't sure what Professor Swan's rules were," he mumbled as he approached the golden doors. "I know Professor Tripton was very explicit that the armoury was for Metal-Atts only."

I waved him off. "Swan is rather easy-goin'. I'm sure she won't mind." I did the secret gesture in front of the door and it creaked open, letting the sunlight filter out through the crack. I held the door open for him and let him step inside.

If his jaw wasn't already low, it was when he saw the inside. "Wow…"

I laughed. "Has this rendered the well-spoken Beckett Harrington speechless?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not at all. This room is just quite impressive," he walked around, eyeing every detail like he'd never get to see it again. "Learning complex spells would be much easier in such a calming environment, although the beauty might distract me from Professor Tripton's lectures, so perhaps it's for the best."

"Oh, thank you," I fluttered my eyelashes and posed. He tried to scoff, but ended up laughing. "Would this place work better than that secret location of yours?"

He thought for a moment. "That is an interesting thought, but I have my bases covered. You don't need to concern yourself with the matter, Percy."

I let it go, but I still wanted to know more. I sat by the crystal in the centre of the room and watched him as he looked around. "Tell me more about the spell you've learnt in class. What's it like to be a Metal-Att?" Maybe if I buttered him up a bit, he'd give me a straight answer.

"Well," he began, "recently we've been working on spells that repair broken items." He sat across from me on the floor. "Here, let me demonstrate." He dug into his bag and pulled out an old, busted radio, setting it on the ground before him. "Watch closely," he said, moving his hands and fingers like he was tinkering with the air. With every motion, the radio began to put itself back together. "It's just a matter of precisely binding the broken parts."

"Does it actually work?" I leant in to inspect the object. It looked put together well enough, but the wiring was a whole different issue.

"Only one way to find out," he smirked, leaning in to turn the volume knob. With a click, it turned on, blaring a very loud hip-hop song. As quickly as he turned it on, he'd turned it back off, shuttering at the atrocious sound he'd just heard.

"Mint," I mumbled, picking up the radio to look it over. _I bet 50 quid he only listens to classical composers._

"Yes, well, Metal-Atts are particularly good at making order out of chaos," he smirked proudly. "What about you?" he asked. "You're surely learning complex Sun-Att magic with your advisor. I'd like to hear more about that."

I put the radio back down and took a deep breath, calming myself. "Yeah, well, Swan first taught me how to meditate. We spent a fortnight just on that." I closed my eyes to show him, knowing it seemed quite boring to start. Once I felt comfortable, I focused my being and centred myself.

"Incredible…," I heard him mutter.

When I opened my eyes, I was not only glowing, but floating a bit above the ground. I chuckled and let myself fall back down. "That's just the easy stuff. I've been practicin' my prescience as well, which lets me see bits of the future."

"What's in my future, then?" he stared smugly at me.

"Acin' your exam," I smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "You didn't actually do anything, did you?"

"I don't have to, ya git. I already know," I tried to reassure him. He was the school's best and brightest, even with the upperclassmen. There was nothing he couldn't do.

"We should get to work. I won't pass if I don't study," he said bluntly.

"Who said I'm doin' metal magic? It's _your_ cram session, innit?" I rebutted.

He pursed his lips. "I just assumed you'd be interested. Perhaps I misunderstood."

I snickered, sitting up straight. "Not at all. This just got more excitin'."

"Great. This first spell is fairly basic, so you should be able to follow along." He stood and gestured for me to do the same. "It involves magnetising two objects with negative and positive charges, so they'll either be attracted to or repelled from each other."

"Ain't this like what we just learnt in class?" I raised an eyebrow.

He teetered his head. "Yes and no. Both spells involve magnetism, but this one isn't used to help locate anything. Simply pushing and pulling," he explained. "Behold the wonders of attraction and repulsion," he smiled and looked up to the golden star chandelier hanging above us. "I'm going to magnetise the chandelier and the ceiling with strong like poles, then say 'Repellere'," as he spoke, the golden star shook and pushed itself away from the ceiling, stopping just before it hit him in the head. "And to draw them back together, I need only to reverse one of their charges and say, 'Attraho'." The chandelier sped upward until it was returned to its original position, floating just below the hole in the roof. "See, it's simple. Go on, try it."

I took a breath and looked around for something less likely to hit us to play with. I decided to use my bookbag. I focused on it the same way I had with Beckett's wristwatch and said, "Repellere." My bag began to float off the ground and up to the ceiling, turning on its side and dropping my notebook out of the front pocket, which I'd forgotten to zip closed. "Shite," I laughed. "Attraho." The bag came back down and landed on its side gently as not to drop anything else.

"Well done," Beckett chuckled, "you're a natural." I shoved my notebook back into my bag and turned to face him for the next spell. Teaching was the best way to learn, after all. "This next spell is trickier. It actually requires a partner to perform, so it's perfect that you came with me." He leant over his bag and pulled out several brass chips that he laid out in front of us.

"What're we doin'?" I asked.

"We're going to melt these pieces of metal down and reshape them into a sculpture," he smiled like a child getting a new toy and put his hand on my shoulder. "Just combine your magic with mine and I'll do the rest." I nodded and did as I was told, letting our magic intermingle like it had when we did our resin project. "Curl your hands into fists," he told me. I did so and the metal on the floor melted into a puddle of shining brass. Beckett twisted his hands, so his wrists were facing up and looked at me to follow. The brass reshaped into an orb, hovering a foot off the ground. "What shall we shape this into?"

"How about… a dryxmar?" I laughed, thinking of the golden statues above the entrance to the arena. "It's Penderghast's mascot, after all."

"That would be appropriately challenging, but I bet we could do better than the ones outside the dome," he said, making a few precise movements with his fingers. The ball twisted itself until it began to mould into a dryxmar, chest puffed out and trunk raised high. It settled back on the ground, a perfect little statue. "I think I'll name him Desmond, after Penderghast's founder, of course."

"Of course," I rolled my eyes. We both stared at it in satisfaction before he picked it up and put it in his bag.

"I'd say this is a job well done, and just in time to start heading to my exam," he nodded to himself.

"Actually, I have a final request, if you don't mind humourin' me."

He stood back up. "I suppose, though it depends on the request. What is it?"

"You have to thank me," I smirked smugly. "After all, I kindly let you come here so you could practice."

"If I remember correctly, you offered," he argued.

I couldn't keep from laughing. He was too serious. "I'm only teasin'. You're so high strung. Here, I'll go first. Thanks for lettin' me join your cram session. This was fun. Your turn."

He rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Why did I just have a vivid flashback of my mother teaching me how to interact with the other children in grade school?"

I smiled widely. "Probably because you have fewer manners than other proper folks like myself. Not all of us are above the lowly peasants of society."

He sighed again. "Very well. Thank you, Percy, for inviting me here. I appreciate it, and you're a fine cram partner."

"Awe, me? Thank you," I teased, unable to stop myself.

"This is why I avoid being nice to people," he rolled his eyes. "It goes straight to your head." He looked down at his watch. "Now, if you don't mind, _Mum_, I must take my leave. It was quite the hike up here, and I can't afford to be late to class."

As he started for the door, I called after him. "Best of luck, dear. You're gonna do great!" He laughed and closed the door behind him to keep me from seeing, but I could hear him outside.

The next few days involved more classes, not seeing my friends at lunch, and sulking back to my dorm only to be told by my brother that I needed to train more. I thought I'd gotten somewhere with Beckett, and I probably did, but my other friends were still hiding secrets. I was still no closer to the truth of who had sabotaged the wards. I stepped into my room and Atlas was already in my face about needing to practice and getting my poor and pathetic skills to be better than they were. He was relentless… Was it because of his lack of sleep or was he just a prick all the time? I couldn't tell.

Atlas drug me out passed the lake to a small inlet covered with trees. The moon wasn't quite at its peak, but it was bright and lit our way. He wanted to teach me more defensive magic just in case something happened. It was nice that he cared, but he was horrible at showing it.

"Atlas, where are we goin'?" I asked as he led me through the trees. "Why aren't we just meeting in the Sun-Att room like we did last time?"

He turned suddenly, his finger to his lips, urgency in his eyes. "The sooner you shut your mouth and move your legs, the sooner you'll find out." I groaned and followed him reluctantly around one more row of trees. I couldn't see the school anymore, just trees and water. He stopped on the grassy shore of the inlet where the only thing that moved was the occasional twitch of a duck sleeping in the water. "We're here because I needed someplace I could teach you a water spell I taught myself. I call it 'Hydrobreath.'"

"How does it work?" I asked, knowing he didn't care if I thought it was cool or sounded interesting.

"It's a hybrid of water and air magic, actually. The theory is simple enough, but the mental aspect is challenging," he explained. "You have to be acutely aware of the oxygen in the water around you. Separate the water molecules from the air molecules. Then, use your water magic to hold the water still, freezing the molecules in place so they are no longer fluid." It was a lot to keep up with, but I was trying to memorise it.

"This is soundin' awfully scientific. What's the point of all this?" I asked, feeling a bit tired. When the sun went down, my energy began to drain. It was a daily occurrence that I'd grown used to, but it was annoying when Atlas always wanted to teach me at night. Granted, there wasn't really a better time to do it.

"It's so that when you breathe, you should be able to just breathe in the air. You just have to stay calm," he explained like it was easy.

"Breathe… underwater?" I clarified.

"That's what I said."

"You're teachin' me to breathe underwater," I said again, shaking my head.

"You are listening, aren't you?" he seemed irritated, but he checked his ears to make sure he was hearing himself correctly, probably just to be condescending.

I furrowed my brows at him. "Why do I need to know this?" I wondered what plan he had thought up that required knowing how to breathe underwater. What were we going to do? Was I in danger of drowning, or did his plan involve hiding underwater for long periods of time?

"Was the name of the spell not glaringly obvious enough?"

I shook my head. "Alright. No pressure or anythin'. All I've to do is not drown, I suppose." He rolled his eyes then kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his skivvies and t-shirt. When he started into the water, he looked back at me expectantly. "I've got this. I'm good at magic," I kept repeating to myself in my head as I stripped and ran in to meet him.

"Get a feel for the water," Atlas said, standing shoulder deep. "Use your magic to identify the types of molecules you're going to need for the spell."

"Gotcha," I muttered, running my hands along the surface of the water to feel it out.

"When you feel confident about it, come in deeper," he said, rather patiently. I waded out into the water until my chin was all that was sticking up, feeling the water all the same. "Just stay aware of the water and air. I want you to try to take one breath underwater, and remember, you _only_ want the air."

I nodded, psyching myself up to not drown. "Right. Stay calm. Don't drown." I took a deep breath then dove under, letting the water out slowly to let me sink to the bottom. _Think. Think. Still the water._ The water around me froze. It was like I was stuck in a giant bowl of jelly. _Bring in the air._ When I thought I was ready, I took an anxious breath… that worked! _Bloody hell I did it!_ I pushed myself off from the bottom of the lake and resurfaced. "I did it!" I laughed.

"Good work. I think we can take a break," he grinned.

"Take a break? We just started and I've only done it once. Let's keep goin'," I objected.

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at me. "No. Take your time with this one. Hydrobreath can go seriously wrong if you mess up the smallest part of it," he said firmly and with a bit of an angry tone. It reminded me of my mum scolding me for not looking when I crossed the road.

I took a step towards the shore. "Alright. Let's take a break."

He took a deep breath, calming himself. "It's one thing to breathe underwater in a controlled setting, with your feet on solid ground. It's another thing entirely when you're literally surrounded by water. You have to act fast. You need to stay focused and calm. The second you stop being able to breathe, you stop being able to think. You stop being able to do magic. You're basically Attuneless, helpless…," he trailed off.

"Have some experience with that, don't you? That's why you're teachin' me?" I guessed. "When did you invent this spell of yours?"

He looked away to hide the fear in his eyes, but I could feel it coming off him. His own Attunement saw to that. "I almost drowned while I was on the run." When he saw how curious I was, he put his hand on my forehead. "I'll show you."

_I was fighting a woman on the bank of the lake, breathing hard, covered in bush twigs and branches. _

_"__You've given us the slip for long enough. Just come quietly. Tell us where your brother is and you won't have to keep running," the woman spat, her dark hair falling over her eyes and into her mouth._

_"__Over my dead body!" I shouted back, spitting dirt out of my own mouth. Behind me, the lake began to bubble. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see vines shoot out of the water and grab my leg. I fell, face first, into the dirt and rocks as it dragged me into the water. I screamed and struggled until I couldn't see anymore. It was already dark, but I couldn't even see the moonlight anymore. _I thought they wanted me alive…_ I started to give up when my struggling produced nothing. I felt tired. I closed my eyes and felt the last of my air leave my lungs. Everything was so dark. _No… No! I can't die!_ In a sudden rush of motivation, I reached out towards the surface and pulled the air down to me. If I was going to die, I was going to die fighting. I took a leap of faith and inhaled. To my surprise, it worked. I'd taken a real breath. With renewed energy, I leaned down and pulled the vine from around my foot. I was pretty deep, but with the ability to breathe, I could swim away from the bank and let them think I was dead… or…_

A white flash left me staring at my brother's frown. "I thought it was the end, but I knew that I had to protect you. As soon as I remembered that, I felt this burst of power."

"Atlas," I closed my eyes for a moment, _feeling_ his fear… and his love for me, even though we didn't know each other. I pulled him into a hug. "I wish you hadn't gone through all of that."

He let me hug him, but shrugged out from under me after a few moments. "I don't know what I did, but at the end of it, Raife's lackey was out cold." He turned and trudged back to the bank. I followed him. Before he sat down on the grass, he said, "The truth is, ever since then, big bodies of water like this scare me."

"You still taught yourself the spell. That's nothing to shrug at," I tried to comfort him. "And you're out here teachin' me."

"I had to!" he said, flopping down into the grass. "I'd discovered a huge weakness I had to make up for, and now I have to make sure you're just as prepared as I am for what Raife will throw at us, but… Percy, getting this spell wrong could mean death. That's why I won't rush you through this like I have with all the other spells. It's to keep you safe."

I sat next to him. "I wish I could protect you sometime," I whispered, feeling a bit useless. Here he was watching me and protecting me at every turn, even when I didn't know he was there, and what had I done? I'd sat there fooling around with my friends, learning how to be a college kid, and living it up while he struggled for his life on multiple occasions… _I_ was the one who was the terrible brother. I felt horrid.

"What do you think you're doing hiding me in your room this whole time?" he asked, trying to make me feel better.

"Lyin', makin' a target of both of us," I picked up a rock that I'd been sat next to and threw it angrily into the lake, "livin' it up while my brother suffers."

He put a hand on my shoulder. "You're giving me a comfortable place to stay inside the school wards," he said warmly.

"Makin' you sleep on the floor doesn't sound like good repayment for savin' my life… on _multiple_ occasions," I rebutted. "Neither does keepin' you away from everyone. It's like I'm ashamed of you, and I'm not. I rather like havin' a brother."

"Since going on the run, it's been my job to protect you. That way, I don't drag anyone else into danger," he said. "My time on the run taught me that. No. I already knew it. I've known since I was a kid, training for this day." He looked up at the moon, which had just peeked out from behind a cloud. "As far back as I can remember, I knew that one day I'd be reunited with my twin, and that when I was, I had to be a hardened soldier."

"You missed out on so much," I frowned, feeling guilty. I knew it wasn't my fault he didn't have much of a childhood, but it felt like it.

"It's my reality. We were already hunted," he looked down at his hands. "My caretakers were doing me a favour, making me strong. We thought you were being raised the same way." He smiled briefly. "Part of me is glad you weren't… You may not understand the depths of your magic yet, but you experienced a childhood I didn't." He stared out into the distance like he was trying to relive a memory.

_No. You know what, Atlas? No._ I stood urgently, drawing his attention. "Finish teachin' me this spell. I understand your concern, but you said it yourself. We're bein' hunted, and my trainin' is ridiculously far behind yours. I need to be ready for anythin' Raife throws at us. I _need_ to know this spell because _when_ we take this arsehole of a sorcerer down, you're gonna live. You're gonna have a life worth livin', and I'm gonna teach ya how to be a kid for once." He stared up at me, seemingly shocked by my resolve. "Please, Atlas. We need this."

He stood and took a deep breath. "Okay, but you have to trust me. More than that, you have to trust yourself if you're going to use this spell. It's beyond what even my caretakers were willing to teach me. It's downright scary, Percy."

"I can handle it. And I trust you," I said assuredly.

He nodded. "Alright. Then let's go back out."

We went back into the water and he had me use Hydrobreath a couple more times the same way I had before. Then he had me take more than one breath when I had that down. When I came back up from taking three breaths under the surface, I said, "Alright, I've got this down. What's next?"

I'd never seen him so serious and concerned. His eyes looked hurt. "Remember, I asked you to trust me."

"Sure," I nodded.

"And remember, I asked you to trust yourself. You're the only one who can make this work."

"Yeah, you've said that. Get on with-"

He jumped up on my shoulders and pushed me under the water, his hands on my head, keeping me from getting up. _Atlas! The hell?!_ I struggled at first, feeling the darkness all over again, reliving his past. I was starting to get lightheaded.

"Stay calm and breathe," I barely heard him through the water and the bubbles rushing passed my ears.

_Focus! Focus! _I tried to stop myself from struggling, but my body was moving on its own, not helping at all. _Calm down…_ I felt the movement of the water and let myself sit in it… still… When the water stopped, I did what I'd trained to do and pulled the air into my lungs, no water. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I let the breath out, I sank to the bottom, looking around at the darkness. _If it was daytime, I could see down here…_ It was sort of peaceful.

"-cy?"

Suddenly, I was raised out of the water by my shirt.

"Percy!" he shouted as I surfaced.

"Oh, c'mon. It was nice down there!" I joked. He let out a few shaky breaths then a long one, lowering his head and mumbling to himself. "Atlas, I'm fine."

"Heh, look at that, you did it after all," he laughed, but I could tell it was fake. I splashed him. "What's that for?"

"Fer drownin' me, ya prat," I narrowed my eyes at him. "At least a hint of forewarnin' might 'ave been nice."

He shrugged. "You wanted to learn this spell fast, so I thought it to you fast. I taught it to you _realistically_."

"That's fair," I pursed my lips and wiped the water from my eyes.

"If someone's trying to drown you, there's no warning. It's just: breathe or you're done," he said coldly.

"I know, but bloody hell. With that memory of yours, it's like I lived it twice," I ran a hand through my hair, trying to get it to unstick from my forehead.

He punched my shoulder playfully. "But hey, now you can Hydrobreathe. That makes you one of only two people in the world."

"If this is how you train, I dunno if I want any part in it," I joked, splashing him again. This time, he returned fire. We both laughed. It was nice to see him smile. He didn't do that enough. Fairly, mind you. Your life being in constant danger is a good reason not to, but still…

He jerked his head toward the shoreline and we both sloshed our way out onto the grass, lying down to look up at the sky. He rested his head on his arms and I laid splayed out like a dying fish. After a while of silence, I looked over at him. He looked happy, or at least content.

"Atlas, tell me about yourself."

He looked back at me, eyes wide in surprise. "You already know everything that matters."

"Tosh. I'm your brother and I know nothin' about your childhood, your favourite foods, what sort of weather you like best. You know, brother stuff, not all intensity and trainin'," I said.

He groaned. "Fine. What do you want to know first?"

I turned onto my side, excited to hear his stories, as short as they may be. "Start young. What was your childhood like? Who were your caretakers? Were they good to you?"

"One question at a time," he held up a hand to slow me down. "My childhood was steeped in magic," he turned his head toward me. "As far back as I can think, I was casting spells, learning magic theory, training… But I did have a happy home life." I smiled, glad to hear those words. "My caretakers loved each other, and we had our family quirks, like Stroganoff Sundays."

"Do tell," I imitated Shreya's enthusiasm for gossip and backstories, though I really was interested and wanted to hear as much as he would tell me.

"What are you, stupid?" he chuckled. "We made stroganoff on Sundays. Sometimes we substituted beef with wild mushrooms we picked up from the forest," the smile lingered on his face and the air felt warm and soothing. "Gregor made a killer cream sauce, Ingrid made garlic bread, and I did the noodles. We cooked enough for an army and _never_ had leftovers."

My stomach growled at his words. "Ugh, now I'm hungry. What about your foster parents? When did the meet? What were their hobbies? They seem like happy people from what you've told me."

"They met when they were undergrads here at Penderghast," he told me. "That's when they met our real parents, too. They were never super lovey-dovey, but they just… got each other. Everything between them looked so easy and full of understanding."

"Like finishing each other's sentences?"

He smirked. "Not quite. They were different people. Ingrid binged junk TV and Gregor read fantasy epics. He was the handy one and she planned family time." As he spoke, sounds began to catch my attention. The humming of an old television, the clatter of plates on a table… It warmed my soul.

"So there was more than just stroganoff?" I teased.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," he grinned. "On Wednesdays, we watched Ingrid's favourite Attuneless show, _Jeopardy._"

"Yeah, I've heard of that one," I laughed.

"Thursdays were house cleaning days, Sunday mornings we made chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup we tapped ourselves," he said, and I could taste it. I imagined his home life and it came easily to me, easing my mind about his upbringing. He had a good childhood.

"You said you lived at the base of the mountains and the edge of a forest," I inquired. "What was home like?"

"You could hear owls at night, and sometimes coyotes, or a wolf howling at the moon. The stars were so bright, we didn't need a step light," he looked up at the stars above us, rolling back onto his back. "During the day, it was birds from sunrise to sunset, and squirrels chattering away. A loud kind of quiet. I always felt like I could think there."

"What was your favourite part of livin' out there?" I asked, rolling onto my back as well.

He sighed happily. "I loved the smell of the air after it rained. It was so fresh. It smelt like earth and like leaves and dust, but so clean." I could smell it as he spoke, and I could hear the wildlife.

I chuckled at the thought of him projecting his memories. "It sounds like a paradise."

"It was. Not to mention I got to fly around on my broomstick, and the three of us played sports in the clearing," he laughed. "I loved it there."

"Broomstick?!" I asked, sitting up. I was taught how to ride a bicycle, not a broom. It was fun to learn how similar yet how different the two worlds were.

"You haven't seen people flying around on campus?" he raised his brow at me.

I sighed. "I have, but it's still odd hearin' it said."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it," he smirked.

"That won't be hard." I kept having flashes of his memories through my head. Memories of him laughing in the woods, playing with animals, splashing in the river. "Atlas, how are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" he asked, staring at me for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Sorry. That's my moon magic. Sometimes I don't realise I'm channelling my emotions into the people around me. It won't happen again." As the words left his lips, all of the warm imagery stopped.

"Don't apologise for that," I said strictly. "I like it. It's as if I was with you, and it lets me know how your feelin' without you havin' to say anythin'." I was quiet for a second. "I'm glad to know you had a good childhood."

He sat up with me. "My caretakers were training me and protecting me, but they knew I was still a kid. They made sure I was able to feel like one." His smile faded into a glossy, sad expression. "Raife found us when I was in high school. He broke through our wards. He… killed them," he huffed out, a lump in his throat.

I put my arm over his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

He tilted his head back, blinking hard. "They died making sure I could escape. I've been on the run ever since, keeping one eye on you and the other on Raife."

"That's such a lonely existence," I rubbed his shoulder.

"It wasn't all bad," he said, wiping his face and shrugging off my arm like emotions were beneath him. "I like checking in on you and seeing you happy. It made me feel less alone, less empty."

"What all did you see?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Enough to know you grew up well?" he smirked.

I stared at him a bit longer, but he said nothing about it. I groaned. "I wish I'd known I had a twin! I've always thought I was missin' somethin'. I just didn't know what. I've wanted a sibling for so long… Now I know I have one and I've missed out on his whole life."

"Twintuition?" Atlas said softly, trying not to smile. I snickered and his guard broke. "Oh, get this. My caretakers told me about our real parents from time to time. Apparently, Mum proposed to Dad."

"That's bold," I smiled.

"And he burst into tears on the spot," he added.

"Awe, how cute," I laughed again. "That's probably where you get your heavily outward emotions from," I teased. He threw my shoe at me. "Hey… do you miss them?"

He shrugged. "It's weird, but I kind of don't. I never knew them, you know?" I nodded, feeling the exact same. "But then I see pictures of them, and I feel like I did."

"Yeah… I feel the same. I wish I had the chance to get to know them. I wish they could have been a part of my life, so I'd know what to miss," I said, staring out at the moon's reflection on the lake.

"Yeah, I think that's how I feel, too," he agreed. "It feels like there's a gap where they should be, but I don't know what to put there." He sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees, looking vulnerable for the first time since we'd met. "Sometimes, I try to imagine what a reunion with our parents would be like. Would they be proud of us?"

I thought for a moment. "I'd like to think they'd be quite pleased to see our progress. You've done a lot in your years and Professor Kontos said I've an ale tankard's worth of potential," I sniggered.

"Speaking of ale," Atlas laughed, "I could really use one. The dining hall is open still, yeah?"

"It is, yeah, but you know they don't serve alcohol," I pursed my lips, also disappointed at that fact. "I've had to be sober for months… It's makin' me batty."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "You Brits and your alcohol," he chuckled as he started to put his clothes back on.

"Hey, you brought it up," I followed suit. "I did hear they've got fresh-squeezed citroberry juice this week."

"We'd better hurry then. That stuff runs out fast, and I demand you bring some back to the dorm for me," he grinned.

"Demand? What you think this is, a service?" I teased.

"I could always go by myself and pretend to be you," he said.

I shook my head repeatedly. "After last time? Not a chance."

We laughed a bit more before we started out. I even taught him a handshake. Brotherly bonding was so much fun. I dropped him off at the room before heading up to the dining hall. As soon as I entered, I found Griffin sat at a table near the door. His head was in his hands like he'd had a migraine or something. After filling a plate for myself, I took a seat next to him.

"You look right knackered," I said.

"Oh, hey, Percy!" his head shot up. "I didn't see you come in."

"So said every character in any book, show, or game who was ever hiding somethin'," I raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed and avoided my eyes. "Griffin, please just tell me what's goin' on. I feel… lost and confused, and you actin' dodgy around me isn't helpin' at all. Did _I_ do somethin' to make you act this way?"

"Th-that's not… no!" he panicked. "Percy, don't be ridiculous! It's just… Ah…," he held his hand up to his face and sneezed loudly, exploding into multi-coloured lights again.

I furrowed my brows. "Are you enchanted to sneeze if you start talkin' about whatever you're hidin'?"

He hung his head and nodded. "Either I sneeze or start shouting animal names… Both were Zeph's idea, but it's for my own good, I promise. I'm a horrible liar, but I need to keep my mouth shut about this. I _wish_ I could tell you, but you saw what just happened."

I snickered. "How about I ask you yes or no questions and you just nod or shake your head? No talking involved," I suggested.

"That doesn't sound very-," he started, but I had questions that needed answers.

"Great. First question. Are there multiple secrets?"

"Percy," he objected.

"Just a yes or no. I'm dyin' here." His resolve wavered, so I smiled and batted my eyelashes jokingly.

He huffed a few times. "There are- Bespectacled Lunatoad! Frittering Tentfly!"

My eyes shot open. "Clearly that was not a good question. Next question. Does it have somethin' to do with Thief?"

"Nope," he smirked when he was able to confidently say something. "Besides, you're at every practice. I think you'd know if something Thief related was going on."

I raised a brow. "Intriguing. One more and I'll let you about your business."

"I'm already sweating, Percy," he fretted.

"I just want to know if you're breakin' any school rules," I said, hands up innocently. "I worry, you know."

He shook his head. "Not that I know of. Measures have been put in place to prevent that from happening."

I sighed. "That's reassurin', at least. I have one more question."

"You said you were done!" he objected.

"This one isn't about you, so don't get your knickers in a twist," I waved him off. "Is Zeph alright? He was actin' strange the other night and I don't want him to be in any sort of trouble."

Griff smiled warmly. "Yeah, he's fine. It's just-"

"Percy! Get back to our room, now! This is an emergency!" Atlas shouted so loudly that it sounded like I'd been struck by a bell. I held my hands up to my ears and looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Percy? Are you okay?" Griffin leant over the table to check on me.

I stood swiftly, knocking over the chair I'd been in, and bolted toward the door.

"Percy!" Griffin called after me, but I didn't turn around or explain anything to him. I just ran. _An emergency? What kind of emergency? Has Raife broken through the wards?_

I sprinted back to the dorm, avoiding anyone who said hello or asked if I was alright. I slammed the door to my room open to find Atlas standing beside the desk, unharmed. He held a slip of paper out to me. Panting, I took it.

"This was under the door when I got back," he said.

I looked down at the torn notebook page. It said, "Come to the Roost. We know the secret of your birth."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Tower of Terror

"They know the secret of my birth?" I asked aloud, wondering if my brother had any insight I might not have.

"Of _our_ birth," he corrected me, a stern yet anxious look in his eyes. "This note is for the both of us. They know we're twins, and, more importantly, they know you're hiding me here."

I stared down at the note, not sure what to make of it. The only thing I knew was that it was Shreya's curly handwriting. "Atlas, how can you be sure of any of that?"

"Because it's too much of a coincidence otherwise!" he argued, defending his stance. "Just think about it, Percy. They're weird and secretive for over a week, and then send you this note? This proves that they've been keeping tabs on you," he accused. I knew my friends had been keeping secrets, but making threats wasn't like them at all. "And now they're trying to blackmail you to get you to go up to this 'Roost', where they're probably waiting to ambush you."

I rolled my eyes and threw the note onto my bed. "That's bloody ridiculous. You're makin' assumptions with minimal evidence. Keepin' a secret or two doesn't automatically mean they're out to get me. And how would they even know about you?" I asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" He stared at me for a moment then let out a sharp breath. "This is it. I didn't think the moment would come so soon, but... are you ready to battle your so-called friends, Percy?" his expression hardened like it did when danger was around.

"No!" I objected. "Atlas, you've got to cool your head! It's my best mates we're talkin' about!"

"Mates who are keeping secrets from you and are trying to lure you into a _secluded location_," he reasoned. "This has 'trap' written all over it!"

I shook my head, not wanting to believe that Shreya, Beckett, Zeph, or Griffin could have an evil bone in their bodies. "Atlas, we could be seein' this all wrong. They've been keepin' somethin' from me, sure, but they've seemed gutted about it, not bloodthirsty."

He rolled his eyes angrily. "Oh, right, because you're just going to assume none of them can act?"

"You're assumin' they all can," I retorted, thinking about Zeph and Griffin's poor ability to lie. Griffin had to be jinxed. "I'm just sayin', I don't want to go burstin' in, knife in hand, for theories we've yet to prove."

"Sometimes a gut feeling is the only difference between staying alive and ending up six feet under," he hissed. I knew he just wanted to protect me, but the entire situation was ludicrous.

I sighed. "Atlas, will you ever be a bit less fatalistic about everythin'?"

He pursed his lips and looked around the room, pacing only a few steps from where he'd been. He ran a hand through his hair the same way I did and let out a long breath, becoming a bit more sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Percy. I know these people have helped you feel at home here, but there are too many red flags to ignore. They aren't the same people they once were. You've basically said so yourself."

"That's true, but-," the words caught in my throat.

He picked the note up from the bed and looked it over for the tenth time. "There's no way around it. And I know first-hand that running, stalling the inevitable, isn't the answer. It didn't keep me, or you, safe." He turned to me, determination in his eyes. "But we've got each other now. We aren't going into this alone anymore." Orien, whom I'd just noticed on the bed in all the hecticness, barked and jumped down to the floor, sitting politely at our feet. "And I guess we've got this guy, too, so come on. Let's get this over with." He turned to the door, ready to leave.

I ran my own hand through my white locks and put a hand on my hip to think. My eyes landed on Orien, cocking his head to the side as if he was trying to understand why we were so panicked. "Atlas, wait," I said as he reached for the handle. "The odds of you bein' right aren't null, same with me. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but we need to be prepared for either option. This could still be a gross misunderstandin'."

"That's fair," he nodded as he opened the door.

We made our way back across campus to the main building. I led Atlas to the clubhouse at the end of the corridor on the third floor, but he insisted on going up the ladder first. No-one was in the Roost, but that didn't stop my brother's head from swivelling back and forth like an owl looking for prey.

"Where the hell are they?" he whispered harshly.

I noticed that the trapdoor to the roof was opened. We didn't use it much, but I'd been up there once with Zeph a few weeks prior. The skinny ladder coming down from the door had a yellow paper stuck to it with an arrow pointing up. When I got Atlas' attention, I led him over to it. "It's quiet. They're probably waitin' for us," I frowned, dearly hoping that I wasn't wrong about them. He started up the ladder, but jumped up swiftly once he hit the top rung, sparks flying from his hands in preparation for an ambush. "Atlas!" I whispered, following him up.

"Don't try anything funny! We know what you're up to!" he shouted, but his words were overpowered by the loud noise that started upon his arrival.

"Surprise!" my mates cheered.

"Happy birth-," Zeph started, but stopped suddenly when I stood behind my brother on the roof. "What in the world?"

"Perc, why is your hair like that again?" Griffin asked, astutely and rather quickly noticing how off Atlas' appearance was from my own.

"You're not Percy," Shreya gasped at him before she saw me. Then her eyes darted back and forth like she'd never seen such a sight.

"Two Percys?" Beckett nearly fell front over back. He held up his finger to count, like he'd suddenly forgotten how to.

I looked around at the scene. My brother was in front of me, his hands still up, but the sparks had receded from his fingertips. Zeph, Shreya, and Beckett were in new outfits and Griffin had a brightly coloured cone attached to his head. Behind the four of them stood a table with several food items, one of which was a very unstable cake, and the roof was surrounded by candles.

"I can explain," I started, now understanding the situation for myself. "This isn't exactly what I was expectin'," I put my hands up and took a step in front of Atlas.

"Perc, who the hell is this and why does he look like an angrier, more emo version of you?" Zeph asked, still reasonably in shock.

"Maybe because I am," Atlas spat, making Zeph recoil the same way Beckett had only a moment before.

"I swear I can explain," I said again. "This… this is Atlas," I gestured to my brother. "He's my twin brother."

"You have a twin?" Griffin shook his head in disbelief. "Since when?"

"Since their birth, presumably," Beckett finally spoke up. "But that still begs the question of why we were never aware."

"Perc, you told me you didn't have siblings," Zeph looked hurt, like I'd lied to him.

"Somebody needs to explain what's going on here," Shreya's hand was to her heart. I thought she might faint if any more surprises popped up, but there wasn't really a better way to explain Atlas' sudden appearance in my life.

I nodded. "You're not the only one needin' an explanation, Shreya," I said, looking around at the set up. "Could we go back inside and clear the air? I think we could all use a sit."

Griffin agreed first. "That's fair. Come on, guys. Let's step back into the Roost for a bit."

The other three waited for Atlas to go down first, still shocked by his existence, before they would move. Granted, that wasn't an easy task. I practically had to shove him down the ladder. Once we were back inside, I tried to get everyone to sit down, but nobody wanted to. We all stood with our arms crossed around the foosball table, Orien pacing between us anxiously, wondering why we weren't being exceedingly friendly.

I gestured toward the ladder. "All of that… It looked like a party for me, but how did you know when my birthday was?" I asked first.

Zeph answered first. "You gave us a general idea through various stories we'd gathered from you, and when we knew it was soon, we got the rest of the information from the RA when we told her we wanted to plan a surprise for you," he informed me.

"I thought we'd have to work our butts off to get things done in time," Griffin's smile eased the tension a little, but not enough. He cleared his throat. "Because your birthday was sooner than we'd thought."

"Why would you call it 'the secret of your birth'?" I asked, honestly confused at the wording.

"That was my idea," Shreya beamed proudly, smiling at me, but faltering when she eyed my brother. "I thought it'd be fun to make it sound a little spooky and mysterious… Really amp up the drama," she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Right, how convenient," my brother snapped at her. "I'm calling this for what it is, more subterfuge and sabotage." As he spoke, Orien rolled onto his side, wanting someone to play with him. There was no danger.

I turned to Atlas and punched his shoulder. "I bloody well knew it! Ya wound yourself up abou' it and di'n't 'ave a lick of proof behind it!" I could hear my accent coming out more in my irritation. "Innocent until proven guilty, innit?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm still not satisfied, but I'll hear them out."

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. When I caught the confused looks of my mates, I crossed my arms and began to explain. "Atlas saved my life when the mirror shattered," I said simply. "I ended up in the mirror dimension with a shadow beast chasin' after me. Orien got hurt somethin' bad and it took all I had to stay alive." Hearing his name, my arylu sniffed at my hand. I knelt down to pet him. "If it wasn't for my brother, I'd be dead or worse. After gettin' back to this side of the glass, we broke into the Hall of Mirrors and found that the wards had been stripped from this side. We don't know who did it, but the probability of 'em bein' a student or staff member is ragin' high. Professor Swan told me to keep him hidden for his own protection, so I've been hidin' him since the mirror blew to pieces."

"No wonder you were acting so bizarre that night!" Beckett put two and two together. He was rather bright. "I'd never heard of a cleaning spell turning someone's hair white before." I glanced at Atlas with a smirk, remembering his awkward reaction to their affection.

"So he was the reflection in the mirror you said didn't look like you," Griffin was rather bright himself.

"Aye," I nodded. "He got stuck in there just before I fell into the lake that first day."

Shreya shook her head as if all the new information was somehow irrelevant. "But why did you keep it a secret from _us_, Percy?" she asked, very disappointed with me. "You could've told _us_."

Atlas scoffed. "A bit bold of you to accuse Percy of keeping secrets, isn't it?"

Zeph looked at me with raised brows. "Yeesh, he's touchy, isn't he?"

I took a small step forward, trying to break up the glaring contest that had broken out. "The thing is, you lot _have_ been actin' odd of late. I've told you my reasons. I'd like to hear yours." They looked between each other then nodded collectively. "I understand why Griff was jinxed. It was for the party, no?" I asked, just to clarify.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I told you, I can't keep a secret. It was for my own good. I really wanted to tell you."

"What about you, Shreya?" I looked pleadingly at her.

She held up her hand. "Okay, I know exactly what you're going to say. You saw me stealing those felifem leaves from class."

"Yeah, what's that about? I never thought you'd steal from a professor," I furrowed my brows, remembering the disappointment I felt at the time.

She sighed. "You know how I said Patissiere Riso uses felifem in her cakes? Well, I figured I could be used in other foods as well, so I used it to make the party drinks." When I visibly relaxed, she smiled. "They give a harmless little mood boost. A fit of giggles, a few-minute sugar high, that kind of thing."

"That actually sounds quite fun," I grinned warmly at her. She'd stolen for me. I couldn't fault her for that.

She frowned back at me. "I'm sorry I've been so secretive about what I've been up to. I just wanted things to be a surprise."

"Shreya pioneered this whole party," Zeph defended her. "She's been spending all her free time planning and setting up."

I let out a breath, disappointed with myself at that point. "Shreya, I'm sorry I doubted you."

She shook her head. "I can't say I blame you. I mean, I was actively keeping a secret from you _and_ I stole something right in front of you."

"Thank you for puttin' so much effort into this," I tried to smile, but I had more questions for my other pals.

"What about the rest of you?" Atlas asked for me. "There's more going on here than just her taking some leaves." His eyes settled on Zeph.

He threw his hands up. "Okay, yeah, I was acting weird, but that's because I was keeping your party a secret."

"That's all?" I asked, thinking he had other things going on. "What about all the dodgy conversations? And you jinxed Griffin."

"I wasn't about to let him ruin your surprise!" he justified. "And we spoke about the other thing," he eyed me, reminding me of our practice session that morning on the pitch. "I thought sneezing out rainbows and shouting animal names was pretty genius," he smirked.

I nodded a few times. "That explains that," I said with a frown, "but I wish there wasn't anythin' else to bring up." I turned to Beckett, who I'd noticed had been inching out of the circle we'd formed. His head was down, and his eyes looked everywhere else but at his friends. "Beck," I started, "why are you teachin' yourself advanced spells beyond our curriculum? Rather, why did you lie about it?"

He tried to play it off by telling us that he was more advanced than the class, but we already knew about his ego.

"Quit deflecting and give us the whole story," Atlas snapped, tapping his foot.

Beckett was more nervous than before, his eyes darting from me to my brother and back. "I'm sorry," was all he'd say for the first minute or so.

"Just tell us," I pleaded. It pained me to watch him, or any of my friends, beat himself up over something that probably wasn't as bad as he thought it was, whatever his reason.

"I-," he stuttered, "I've been going into the mirror dimension to practice magic beyond the first-year curriculum," he blurted out. "It was the only way to avoid detection!"

"You've been _what_?" Zeph rounded on him swiftly. "You've been hanging out in the mirror dimension, where Percy got attacked?"

"It's more than just the place Percy got attacked," Griffin scowled. "It's how these monsters have been getting into the school!"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I couldn't look at him for a moment. "Beckett… Did the monsters break through because _you_ were the one who removed the wards?"

"I… I…," he tried, but couldn't find the words to defend himself. Instead, he just hung his head in shame. "I hadn't entered the mirror dimension before the first two shadows came through," he paused. "But I did remove the ward that allowed the third monster through." As the last word left his mouth, everyone rounded on him, driving him to sit on one of the bean bags and hide his head in his hands. "I'm sorry! I just… needed somewhere to practice… to get better. I assumed I could put the ward back up, since I was able to remove it, but I was only able to partially restore it. It wasn't enough!"

The Roost was filled with deafening silence. I didn't know what to say to him. I turned around for a moment to collect my thoughts. "Alright, at least I know why everyone was actin' so strange, but… I can't believe you messed with the wards, Beckett!" I half-groaned half-shouted the second half.

"I can explain!" he sat straight, but still didn't make eye contact. "At first, it was all about improving my magic to get the Attuned Magickae Uirtus Award-"

"You risked my twin's safety, _everyone_'s safety, for a stupid class ranking?" Atlas hissed. "Percy almost _died_!"

At that, Beckett stood and squared off with my brother. "Do _not_ assume you know my motives," he scowled. All of us, save Atlas, stared at him with disbelief. We'd never seen Beckett posture anyone… ever. Noticing his behaviour, he pulled on the ends of his blazer and cleared his throat. "I… I understand your mistrust, and if you hear my explanation and want nothing to do with me, so be it, but please allow me to finish," he looked at me for permission.

"We don't have to allow you anything," Atlas snapped back, taking a step towards him. Beckett was taller, but Atlas was far more intimidating. Beckett puffed out his chest just as much, making the two of them look like elk about to spar.

I grabbed my brother's elbow, pulling him back. I didn't want to lose my best mate if his excuse was stupid, but I was going to lose him anyway if I didn't hear him out. "Let him," I spoke softly, nodding when Beckett's eyes met mine once more.

Beckett let out a breath and took a step back from Atlas. "I know I can be difficult. I'm selfish and proud and impossibly hard to get close to," he began. "I'm well aware that I'm not the most likeable person…"

"Yeah, no offense, but you're about as friendly as a prickly-skinned hedge mongoose," Zeph offered, not helping. "And that's on a good day."

Beckett nodded in reluctant agreement. "To be quite candid, I've never had a great deal of friends. Why would I? I'd always believed that friends would just… get in the way of my achievements." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When they opened again, they were on me and his voice struggled to stay even. "Which is why being welcomed by this… Motley Crew… was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me."

"How can you say that?" Shreya objected, feeling hurt.

He fidgeted with the bracelet on his wrist under his blazer cuff. "Because, thanks to all of you, in the past months, I've lost sight of my original goals. I've had to start caring about people other than myself. I used to relish in being alone, isolating myself from others, but ever since…," his voice broke. "Ever since getting to know _you_, Percy… You're my best mate," he didn't even look away when his eyes began to gloss over. "I've been doing everything in my power to help you."

"You did this for me?" I asked, a bit shocked.

"When I realised that you meant more to me than my studies, my forays into the mirror dimension were no longer for my own gain, but yours," he choked out. "Continuing to go in there was the only way I could think of to get strong enough to defeat those bleeding monsters Raife Highmore threw at you. All I wanted…," he turned away to wipe his face. "All I wanted was to be a good friend." It took me a moment to process. _He took down the ward to help me?_ I stared at him blankly. "I realise now how foolish I was to think that I, alone, had the capabilities to solve your problems. My goal was to keep you safe, but all I did was put you in more danger than ever." _That's why he was so concerned about the glass shards… and why he's been uncharacteristically kind._ "I'm truly sorry…"

"Beckett," I shook my head slowly. He hung his head again. "You big, loveable git," I stepped toward him and pulled him into a bro-hug. "How can I not forgive you for that?" His hand squeezed mine as I patted his shoulder.

"What?!" Atlas objected.

"Percy, you can't possibly-," Beckett agreed with my brother.

I pulled back and met his shocked eyes. "I understand that puttin' me in danger was the last thing on your mind, Beck. You had poor judgement, but you're only human, despite what you'd like to think."

His jaw dropped. "I- I insist that you let me make up for my actions before I can feel justified in accepting your forgiveness."

"He undid everything I'd done to keep you save, and now you're-," Atlas huffed angrily and paced around the table. "He's reckless, Percy! He isn't worthy of-"

"Atlas!" I shouted. He stopped in his tracks and stared at my conviction. "You were both tryin' to do the same thing! You can't overlook his mo'ives! You didn't do a bang-up job either, but I've never bullied you for it! He's been tryin' to help, just as you 'ave, and he knows, just as you do, that it requires bein' stronger. You were worried someone powerful was workin' against us, but it's the complete opposite. He's standin' right 'ere."

"A- am I this 'someone powerful'?" Beckett asked, looking between us.

"Yeah, Beck, you are," I grinned. "And, Atlas, you can be wound up about it, but you have to realise his goals are the same as yours. Think of what you'd accomplish workin' _with_ him, together, no more secrets," I looked around at everyone at that point.

Atlas crossed his arms and looked off towards the wall. "I'll… I'll have to think on it," he agreed reluctantly. "I suppose I can recognise the value of preparing for an impending threat. And I'll admit, it is impressive that he was able to disable those wards." He turned back to Beckett at that point. "Maybe to earn my trust and respect, you can teach me how you did that."

Beckett nodded to my brother before turning to me, staring at me as if hitting him would make him feel atoned. "Percy, I just need you to know that I would never hurt you on purpose. I'll do everything in my power to help you, however you need me."

"We all will," Zeph stepped up, looking around the cluster. "A lot has gone down, but this night should still be about Percy. He deserves a fun party, and I still want to give him one."

I gave a warm smile to my friends. "Thanks, Zeph. Cheers to all of you. You obviously put a lot of effort into makin' this surprise. I want to fully appreciate it."

"Wooh!" Zeph cheered and scrambled back up the ladder to the roof. Griffin and Shreya followed him with light-hearted chuckles, but Atlas wouldn't let Beckett pass until they'd 'had a talk'.

When I got back up to the roof, I looked around to properly appreciate the set up. "I don't think I've ever had a surprise party before."

"Seriously?" Griffin looked at me as if my childhood was depressing. "No Thief, no surprise parties… What was your life even like?"

I snickered. "Oi, I've lived a sheltered live. We've all established this." When Atlas and Beckett finally came up behind me, I wrapped my arm around my brother's shoulders. "Atlas, I think you have somethin' to say to my mates here," I stared sternly at him.

He rolled his eyes with a sigh and crossed his arms. "Fine. I _suppose_ I may have been wrong about you, but don't make me change my mind," he narrowed his eyes at Beckett.

Shreya took a step forward with a huge smile and snapped her fingers. The candles and sparklers around the table with the cake, and _on_ the cake, lit instantly. "Well then, I think we can get back to business." Zeph and Griffin looked at her hesitantly at first, but then turned to me and opened their mouths in unison.

"Oh, no," I couldn't hide my smile. They started singing a very poorly rendered 'Happy Birthday', Griffin the out of tune bass, Shreya like a songbird in flight, and Zeph basically just screaming every word. Beckett's lips were moving, but I was certain no sound came out.

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Wishing you joy on this wonderful day," they all paused and looked at Beckett expectantly.

"Oh, um… and magical plenty to you, too," he finished shyly.

"Hurry and blow the sparkler before it explodes!" Zeph cheered.

I looked back at my brother, gesturing for him to join me.

"I'll pass," he huffed, curling his lip like the whole do disgusted him.

I shook my head. "You can't pass. It's your birthday, too. You are not too cool for your own birthday." I pushed him forward, watching his snarl grow with every inch. "On three," I started. He rolled his eyes, but leant over the cake just the same. "One, two, three!" I sped through the count and we both blew the sparkler out just before it fizzled into the frosting. As the light went out, a golden spark flew up above us, exploding into an enormous firework. I looked at my brother and caught an earnest smile gracing his lips for only a second.

"Stop staring at me, weirdo," he curled his lip and pushed my shoulder.

"Can't help it. You looked like a normal kid there for a moment," I teased.

As Shreya and Zeph began slicing up the cake, Atlas retreated to the corner not already occupied by Beckett. I took the moment to check in with him, joining him in his hawk-eyed patrol of the grounds.

"Cool light trick," he said simply, staring at the still glowing firework in the sky. "I wonder how long it'll last."

I nudged him with my shoulder as I leant over the ledge. "I know you feel out of place, but this do is for you as well," I reminded him.

"Don't be ridiculous," he waved me off. "Your friends didn't even know I existed until a second ago."

I turned to put my back against the ledge and punched his shoulder playfully. "C'mon. They're just as surprised about this as you are." He pursed his lips, not letting his gaze wonder from the surrounding area. "I know a lot has happened, but I want this to be about friends and havin' a good time. You deserve that as much as I do."

He locked eyes with me. "Percy, you know I don't do friends. I don't know how to break the ice, and I don't really want to." He glanced over at my mates, his eyes looking distant for a moment. "I doubt they do, either. Not after I basically accused them of all being out to get you."

I waved him off. "In a few years, we'll all laugh about this," I joked, using an old cliché. "But for now, you all just need to get to know each other a bit, and I know the perfect game!"

He suddenly looked worried. "A game? Are you sure that's the best idea?"

I nodded. "Oh, yeah. This game is all about callin' people out on silly things they've done in the past. It's called 'Never have I ever'. It can be rather fun, and pretty competitive as well," I nudged him, knowing that I wasn't the only one who got that trait.

He raised his brow. "Competition, huh? That _is_ my forte… Keep talking."

"Let's go," I grabbed his arm and dragged him behind me towards the others.

"Wait! I don't even know how to play!" he objected. As we reached my friends, the light in the sky dimmed.

"Mates, who's up for an Attuneless game?" I offered.

Shreya squealed. "A glimpse into Percy's Tuneless life? Count me in!"

The lads gathered around and I explained the rules to them. "Basically, each person takes turns guessin' things that _aren't_ true about them, but _are_ for everyone else," I said. "When someone guesses somethin' correct about you, you drink." I paused for a moment, realising the alarming lack of alcohol. "Or some other punishment… How do people do this sober?"

"Oh!" Zeph chimed in. "We could drink some of the magi-heli out of the balloons," he suggested. "It'll make you float."

Griffin laughed. "I've played this before. You learn all sorts of stuff about your friends."

Beckett stared blankly at us, as he usually did. "I don't understand why people are so keen to invade each other's privacy," he caught my eye and added, "but I suppose I can play along, just this once."

"Mint," I smirked and began sitting people down in a circle. "Atlas, c'mere," I patted the ground next to me. He scoffed, but slouched over to join the fun, angrily throwing a streamer out of his face as he walked. "I'll go first," I said. I looked around, using all my knowledge obtained about my mates over the past months. "Never have I ever changed my shoes because I scuffed one," I chortled.

Everyone looked at Shreya immediately. She put her hands up in surrender. "What? Don't look at me like that! I can sense your judgement and it is not appreciated," she huffed.

"You said, and I quote, 'If I have to look at this tragedy one more time, I'm going to disown myself.' And then you left me in the dinin' hall to run back to the common room," I teased, trying to imitate her voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I have personal standards, but be grateful I never pointed out when, say, Zeph mismatches his socks," she jabbed. He shrugged, unaffected, and handed her a balloon. She took a breath of the helium and began to float a few inches off the ground. "The view is better from up here anyway."

Griffin chuckled. "Alright, let's keep this going. Atlas, how about you take a turn?"

My brother looked around at all of us, his poker face completely unreadable. "Never have I ever… had childhood friends."

I frowned pitifully. "That's not a spanner in the works at all," I said sarcastically, looking at the rest of my friends as they passed around the balloon.

Zeph snorted when Beckett was about to take a breath. "Hold up. Beckett, are you seriously saying _you_ had friends as a kid?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, do shut up," he retorted, inhaling from the balloon.

"Drink up, suckers. I just took all five of you out at once," Atlas smirked briefly.

"Don't gloat. It's not sportsmanlike," I sniggered as the balloon came to me. Floating was an entirely new experience. I hadn't even figured out how to make an object float on its own, let alone people. Balancing was a challenge in itself. After a minute, we all started bumping into each other like loose balloons at an amusement park. A few rounds later, I noticed Atlas actively fighting the urge to smile.

"Wait, wait," Zeph held up his hand, or held it out, rather, as he was almost upside-down. "Let me just go for a wild one. Never have I ever killed an animal with my bare hands."

We all looked at my brother as he reached for his first balloon, the smile on his face completely inerasable. He shrugged. "I was hungry, and it was food. Tree-dwelling night rat isn't as bad as it sounds." Beckett mimed vomiting and Shreya was so perturbed that she was completely pale.

"That's so metal!" Zeph praised. "I love it."

A few more rounds went by and Atlas had only lost twice. Griffin and Zeph were so high up that we had to tie them to the chairs by their shoelaces, and Shreya and I were getting ready to tie ourselves up.

"Dang, Atlas, you're good at this game," Griffin admitted after taking yet another huff.

"What can I say? I'm a natural winner with an eye for my opponents' weaknesses," he smirked, sitting cross-legged and maintaining his balance whilst hovering above the floor by quite a ways.

I snorted, lying on my stomach in the air. "Or you just like party games," I teased. "Which has me wonderin'… Never have I ever had a birthday gig." As we _all_ reached for a balloon, I cheered. "I knew it! Talk to me, brother."

"What?" he objected. "The rules are 'you lose, you drink', not 'you lose, you talk'. Now drink up with the rest of us and let's move on."

I rolled my eyes. "You're no fun. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. I invoke the power of the Birthday Boy," I announced. "My gig, my rules. Get to talkin'."

"If that's the case, it's my birthday, too, so I refuse," he retorted. I pouted like a five-year-old, crossing my arms as I began to float upside-down. When he saw the matching expressions of Shreya, Zeph, and Griffin, he sighed. "Fine. I've had lots of birthday parties. One each year, on my birthday, incidentally," he said too simply.

"Then what's your most memorable? Besides tonight, of course," Zeph asked.

He thought for a moment. "I was seven. My caretakers threw a party for me and my imaginary troll friend, Humberton, even though it wasn't his birthday."

I snorted a bit too loudly. "Humberton!" He glared at me and closed his mouth to stop talking. "No, I'm sorry! Keep goin'!" I tried to stifle my laughter.

"I ate the entire cake in one sitting, and somehow managed to magic the roof of the house into a replica of the Milky Way galaxy," he pursed his lips. "That was when my caretakers decided to limit my sugar intake. Birthday parties involved lightly-sweetened granola bars from then on."

I laughed again. "That's why you're such a hard-arse!" Everyone ignored me, knowing I was inconsolable at that point.

"I'm curious about this troll friend," Shreya pulled herself down on the back of one of the chairs and crossed her legs daintily. "Where'd he come from?"

"My brain, obviously," Atlas responded bluntly. "When you don't have real friends, you have to start imagining them." When none of us laughed, he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm guessing I need to work on my sense of humour."

"Not at all," Griffin smiled. "We'll just have to get used to it. You and Percy are kind of total opposites."

I chortled. "Atlas got the fightin' skills, the murderous stares, and the extreme nihilism. The least he could leave me were the social skills," I joked.

"Don't count on that for long," he retorted. "I'm a fast learner."

"You wanker!" I laughed, throwing a handful of streamers at him. All of us started laughing. It was a warm, fun environment. I don't think I'd been that content before then.

When Atlas noticed that we were all laughing at him, he began to fidget, losing his balance and flipping on his head. "Shit!" he mumbled, pulling himself back around. "You did not just see that."

"We should hug it out," I joked, propelling myself toward him.

"Don't fuckin' touch me," he put his hands up to guard himself.

"C'mon, just a little hug between brothers," I teased.

"Absolutely not," he argued, but didn't stop me when my arms desperately wrapped around his shoulders to keep me from drifting farther than I'd planned to. "I don't do touching."

"Even when it's a hug filled with love and friendship?" Zeph laughed.

"I'd rather jump off this tower," he said, prying my fingers from his arm one by one.

"C'mon, bring it in," I gestured for the others to join me in screwing with my all too serious brother. Shreya, Zeph, and Griffin joined in, wrapping their arms around the both of us, clinging desperately to not fly off. Atlas groaned, but didn't fight us.

"Welcome to Motley Crew!" Shreya squeaked.

Atlas crossed his arms and grumbled. "You are all… decent. I… appreciate your kindness," he spoke so low that we almost didn't hear him, but being in the close proximity that we were, we all did.

"You looked like you were dying saying those words, but I'm still touched," Griffin laughed as he began to descend back to the ground.

Beckett cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt this heartfelt moment, but has anyone been keeping score? Or, rather, how does one lose this game?"

I snorted. "Beck, this game is about bondin', not losin'! But how about you finish up the final round?"

He nodded. "Very well, then. Never have I ever arrived at Penderghast through the lake," he jabbed, not missing a beat.

"Low blow!" I objected, letting my brother go so I could find a balloon. Even Atlas laughed at that. "Don't you chuckle at me. It was your fault!"

"We need drinks!" Shreya cheered as she began to descend as well.

That got my attention. "What sort of drinks?" I asked, praying it was alcohol. Everyone pushed themselves toward the table, slowly all touching the ground in the process.

"I call this one 'Off the Walls'," she said, holding up a foggy drink with multiple colours wafting around in the glass. "Who wants to test out its magical properties?"

"Me!" I snatched the drink and took a sip. _Please be alcohol…_ Immediately, I felt warmth spread through my body, making my cheeks hot. It _felt_ like alcohol, but it didn't give me the same satisfaction. I looked down at the glass. "Why is it called 'Off the Walls'? Isn't this supposed to give you a mood boost?"

She nodded. "It does, but if you drink too much at once-," she had just begun to say when Zeph shook his head violently, an empty glass in his hand.

"Oh, I'm feelin' it!" he shuttered, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "I feel _so_ sugar high!" he shouted before running around the table, his arms out like a plane.

I stood their wide-eyed. "Shreya, what have you unleashed?"

"I could run a hundred laps! I could dive off the roof right into the lake! I could-," Zeph began, climbing up onto the ledge of the roof. Griffin bolted toward him and pulled him back down to the ground. Without skipping a beat, Zeph shrugged out of Griffin's grasp and bounded over to Beckett, who was sniffing his drink suspiciously. "Heyo, Beckett! Becko! Bucket!" he began to slur.

"Excuse me?" Beckett had never looked so offended.

"Bookbeck, Beeboop Harrytoes, Beckles," he listed, the nicknames only getting more and more stupid. "Hang on, I've got, like, a year's worth of these to go through."

"Don't forget 'The Beckoning'," Atlas offered, looking more serious than he had all night.

"Atlas, you mad genius!" Zeph cheered.

"If you must call me names, I suppose there could be worse fates," Beckett tried to reason, more to himself than anyone else.

"B-boy! Big B!" Zeph continued.

Beckett scowled. "I was wrong."

I was laughing relentlessly hard, but I knew I had to save him. "Toast!" was the only word I managed to get out. I held up my glass. "To the best mates a bloke could have!"

"That's a toast I can get behind," Griffin raised his untouched glass.

Beckett cleared his throat and raised his glass as well. "To an exemplary group of people who have given me more than I deserve. I feel lucky to know you all."

"Talk about deep," Shreya chimed in. "I agree, though. I feel super lucky to be part of such a kickass crew."

Atlas took a step closer to me to avoid Zeph's fidgeting and said, "I hate repeating myself, but what I said earlier stands true. You guys seem pretty okay, as far as people go."

"If that's not a compliment, I don't know what is," I chuckled.

"I'll toast to that!" Zeph said, grabbing another drink. Griffin quickly put his own down to stop him. Beckett and Atlas ended up backing away from the ruckus again, but in separate corners. I think Beckett was still a bit intimidated by Atlas, but not quite as much as before. Overall, it was turning out to be a good night.

After a while of jolly good laughs and fits, I went down into the clubhouse to refill our snacks. Atlas came in after me. "Hey, I'll help you with those cupcakes," he said, taking a tray from my hand and looking strangely pensive.

"What are you thinkin' about?" I asked.

He pursed his lips briefly. "Your friends are… really good people… like, _really_ good. Even that Beckett moron." I wanted to object, but his observation was fair based on what he'd seen of him. "I barely know them, and I can already see that they genuinely care about you. It wasn't right for me to make you doubt them."

I shrugged. "You were only lookin' out for me. Your heart was in the right place. I can't fault you for that, and besides, I got to bond with the sibling I never knew I had. How excitin'."

He snorted. "If you call me putting you through the wringer 'bonding', sure."

"You were tough, but you were thinkin' about my safety the entire time," I said. "I've learnt some useful things from you, though I hope you do realise that you aren't the only person lookin' out for me."

He nodded. "I've learnt that there's strength in numbers. With your friends _and_ me at your back, you'll be unbeatable."

"You can befriend my mates as well, you know," I picked out a few more snacks from the mini fridge in the corner. "It looks like you already did."

His mouth twitched, almost making him smile. "They're totally weird, but I guess I like them better than Raife and his lackeys. By the way, I couldn't help noticing that Shreya girl glancing your way all night. The hearts in her eyes are pretty disgusting."

"What?" I asked, not having noticed that at all.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Percy. I suck at all that mushy stuff, and even I can tell when someone has feelings for you. It's your birthday. You've cleared things up with your friends, so go spend time with them," he smiled genuinely.

I shook my head. "No way. It's our first time to really relax together. I'm not gonna leave my brother tonight of all nights."

His lip curled. "It's weird that you're so happy."

"Look at you, improvin' your social skills," I teased. "I'm havin' loads of fun with you as well," I rested my elbow on his shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get back to the do." We carried the snacks up the ladder and set them on the table. All my mates were lying on the shingles of the roof higher up the tower. We climbed up to join them, lying on our backs to look out at the sky. "What do we call this party game?" I asked.

"I call it 'that feeling when you're too sugar high to even be alive'," Zeph sounded like he'd been smoking too much. "The rest of us totally crashed after Shreya's drinks. We're just watching the stars now."

"The sky looks more peaceful here than when I was on the run," Atlas said sombrely. "I used to feel so trapped under it…"

"You're not on the run anymore, Atlas. You don't have to feel trapped anywhere," I reassured him. "It's mint bein' here with everyone. Things finally feel right again."

A streak of light fell toward the horizon, making Shreya sit up and cheer, "Ooh, a shooting star!"

"Yes, a piece of space debris burning up as it plummets through our atmosphere," Beckett crashed the fun.

Griffin stood and walked down to the snack table, returning with a poorly wrapped box. "This present's from all of us. Go ahead and open it," he presented it to me. "Sorry, Atlas. We didn't know you existed, so we didn't get you anything, but we will next time." Atlas shrugged it off.

I smirked. "I'd like to say you didn't have to, but I _really_ like unwrapping gifts," I said as I began to carefully strip the box of its wrapping. My jaw dropped. "What is this?" I stared down at the small radio in my lap. It was an old phonograph that looked like it had been retrofitted for some newer purpose. "Besides the greatest thing I've ever seen."

"It's a Phono," Griffin said. "A magical music player. I have one just like it in the Roost, and I thought you might like one for your room."

"We included some of our favourite Muses in there for you to listen to, but you can always swing by Penn Square for more," Shreya added.

"Woah, thank you. All of you," I gaped at the Phono, turning it around in my hands to find out how it worked.

"I guess I'll have to get used to dance parties in the room now," Atlas joked, but he sounded more distant than that. He'd been staring up at the sky, his mind clearly somewhere else entirely.

"Oi, Zeph, could I borrow you for a moment?" I asked, putting my present down in my brother's lap. "Don't break that, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm happy to be borrowed whenever," Zeph hopped to his feet, wobbling a bit to get his internal balance back.

I led him down to the ledge of the roof, away from earshot of the others. "I feel bad that I don't have anythin' for Atlas," I whispered, "and was wonderin' if you had any ideas."

He smirked proudly. "Oh, Percy, do I ever. In fact, I have more than just one idea. I have the perfect present!" he whispered back and began rummaging through the pockets of his denim jacket.

"On you? Right this moment?" I asked, a bit shocked.

"The Zeph-ster is always prepared," he beamed. He handed me an old can that read 'Mixed Nuts' on the faded label.

"I don't know how that'll stack up against me getting' the most badarse music player I've ever laid eyes on," I worried.

"Not nuts, _joke_ nuts," he clarified. "The gift that provides minutes of hilarity! Guaranteed to make even Atlas crack a smile."

I chuckled. "It'd be a rather small smile, mind, but Atlas could use some hilarity in his life."

"So, what do you say? Sometimes a good laugh, or a reluctant twinny smile, is the most meaningful gift you can give someone," he persuaded.

"It's better than nothin'," I agreed, taking the can and putting it in my own pocket. "Thanks, Zeph."

"No problem, buddy. I just hope it works," his smile faltered for a brief second.

"You said it was guaranteed," I argued jokingly.

"Yeah, but this is Atlas we're talking about," he put his arm over my shoulder. "Good luck."

I laughed and made my way back over to my brother, taking the Phono back from him and extending my hand out to him. "Hey, brother. I've got a present for you."

He furrowed his bows. "Should I be worried, disappointed, or relieved that it's so small?"

I waved him off. "Definitely none of the above," I falsely reassured him.

When I turned my hand over, he stared blankly at me, then the can, then back to me. "Mixed nuts."

"Not just any mixed nuts. These have Brazil nuts. Everyone knows those are the best nuts," I lied, trying and failing to hide my smile.

"You can't refuse that logic," Zeph backed me up.

"Oh, boy. I'm so excited. I'll save them for a special occasion," he said, monotone, as he began to shove them in his leather jacket pocket.

"Why wait? You should have some now," I hastily blurted out.

He eyed me suspiciously, but went along with it. "Okay… I guess I have room for a snack after all those snacks I just ate." He unscrewed the lid to humour me. "These better be worth-," he started, but jumped back, dropping the can when a cloth snake sprung out at his face, his hands up in front of him defensively. "Why have my mixed nuts been transformed into… an angry snake?" he squinted down at the toy when he saw the rest of us sniggering.

"You fell for the oldest Tuneless trick in the book!" Zeph roared, his hands on his stomach.

Atlas took another moment to understand, but then smiled defeatedly. "Fuck you," he chortled. "As foolish as this nonsense is, I bet it could come in handy against enemies."

I gasped. "Zeph, you were right! He smiled!" I did a victory fist pump with a silent, "Yes!"

Atlas sat back down, trying to wipe the smile off his face, but he couldn't manage it. "Hilarious. Remind me to use this on Swan the next time she forces me to stay for loremleaf tea." When the snickers died down a bit, he said, "I guess this is a good time to mention I have something for you, too. Just don't make a big deal out of it." He pulled a small, circular, jewelled object from his inner jacket pocket and forced it into my hands.

"No," I said first. "This is the mirror you used to escape Raife! I can't take this from you!"

"It's an escape mirror. The last one my caretakers gave me," he told me. "It got me out of a few tricky situations, but I want you to have it now. If you're ever in trouble and I'm not there to help, it'll give you a way out."

"Are you sure you want to give this to me? It was the last-," I started.

"I'm giving it to you _because_ it's valuable. It'll protect you," he said, firmly pushing it into my palm.

I met his eyes and saw how serious he was. "Thank you. I'll keep it safe." I curled my fingers around it and held it close to me.

"Keep it on you, otherwise it's useless," he added, a warm smile creeping at the corner of his lips.

"Always," I said, putting it into my own inner jacket pocket.

Beckett cleared his throat. He'd been quiet for a while, but had finally chosen to join the conversation. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's something on my mind regarding the wards." Everyone got serious and turned to face him. "We know the shadow monsters were already able to get through, albeit in weakened forms, when the wards were up, but only a _single_ ward had been compromised for a fully-formed monster to burst through, and who's to say that's the limit?"

"Quit beating around the bush, Harrington," Atlas' voice was stern.

Griffin sighed. "Oh no… I think I know where this is going."

"The school wards are always lowered during the Thief tournaments, because visitors from all over need to get onto the grounds," Beckett continued.

"But weren't you saying the championship game is coming up soon, Griffin?" Shreya sounded alarmed when she put the two together.

"So… what's goin' to happen?" I asked, not sure if any of us had the answer. My stomach felt like it might turn.

"The championship game is the perfect time for Raife Highmore to strike," Beckett said bluntly.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: End Game

Three weeks after the party, the last Thief game of the season was about to start. We'd spent all free time outside of classes in preparation for it. Not only for the game itself, but _anything_ that may happen during the time the wards were lowered. Griffin and I were on our way to the pitch that morning. The fog had rolled in early and obscured enough of our vision to make the day ominous, without all the extra fretting I was doing.

"Today's the day, Griff," I sighed shakily. "The championship game… and the perfect day for Raife to strike."

"How are you doing?" he asked as we walked across the courtyard.

"Well," I took a deep breath. "I can say I've had better days thus far. I barely slept at all last night. I kept havin' dreams about… well, you know." I shivered. Maybe it was just the fog, but I felt like someone was watching me. No-one was, mind, other than Griffin.

He put a hand on my shoulder. "You know, you could sit the game out. You might be safer on the side lines."

I shook my head. "No. I don't think anywhere on campus is more or less safe, so I'd rather be in the game and have back up if need be than face whatever he has planned for me alone."

"It's alright. We know he's going to attack. We can be ready for him," Griffin reassured me. "We've overprepared for this."

"I know, but we should still be careful," I warned. "I've been practicin' my magic with Atlas and Professor Swan, so I should be able to handle it, but that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We still don't know _how_ or _when_ _exactly_ he plans to attack."

"You're right, but at least together we'll stand a better chance than apart," he said.

I nodded. "I just hope Atlas doesn't get split up, since he can't just sit with all of us out in the open."

As we entered the arena, the crowds nearly blew my eardrums. The stands were so full that even the balcony seats had been filled to the brim. Fans were sitting on the steps just to have a space.

"That's… a lot of people," my stomach fell through. How many people could get hurt if the stadium was filled that much?

"Once the game starts, you won't even know they're there," Griffin said, leading me over to the corner of the field.

"That's not what I'm worried about," I glanced around to the other team warming up across the pitch. _I wonder if we can keep them safe as well… I hope no-one gets hurt…_ "And to top it off, we have to worry about the other team's plans as well."

"Don't worry about that," Griffin turned around to walk backwards. "Just keep your focus on Raife. If we lose, we lose. There's always next year." He sounded rather laissez-faire for the star player of the varsity team. "Though… it wouldn't hurt to give you a bit of an advantage," he smirked. _There he is._

"What sort of advantage?" I raised my brow.

He beamed. "Just a little air spell I know. I don't use it very often because it takes up too much of my magic, but you're a Sun-Att. For you, it'll be easy."

"Explain," I asked, intrigued.

He stopped walking and spoke with his hands. "Basically, it gives you super speed. It'll make you a lot harder for the other team to catch," he glanced around and lowered his voice. "And Raife shouldn't be able to lay a hand on you either," he whispered.

I nodded. "Sounds good to me. How do I do it?"

"The spell is relatively straight forward," he explained. "You just have to tap your foot on the ground like a centaur about to run and say the word 'Citius'."

I tapped my foot on the grass, working like a bull about to charge. "Citius," I said in a low whisper, but nothing seemed to happen. "I don't feel any different," I told him.

He kept grinning. "Just give it a second. Actually, we still need to warm up before the game starts. Why don't we test it out… with a race?" he suggested.

"Now you're speakin' my language," I smirked. We lined up near the corner entrance gate and made our finish line the far bench down the stretch.

"Three… two… one… Go!" he shouted, and we both took off.

After only two or three steps, my body felt strange and the world passed by me much quicker than usual. I turned around, but I was on the other side of the field already, leaving Griffin still near the first bench. "Holy mother of…," I muttered, looking down at my feet. When he caught up with me, he was completely out of breath. "Mint," I mumbled.

"What'd I tell you?" he huffed, leaning on his knees. "No-one will be able to catch you."

Before I could respond, our captain called us over to the bench. "Langley! Miller! Get over here!" We hustled to the rest of the team by the starting rune. The dome closed overhead, signalling the start of the game. Cap stepped up to address the team. "Alright, team. We all know what we've got to do today. We're going to play the best game of Thief Penderghast has ever seen. We've beaten these guys before, and we can do it again! When the game starts, we'll split into two groups. Stick with yours so the other team can't pick us off one by one." We piled our fists into the centre of the huddle and joined our captain in screaming, "Go Dryxmars!" I wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I'd wanted to be, but could you blame me? "Let's get out there and win!" Cap yelled, before getting into position.

Griffin and I stayed close to each other, but we didn't know what terrain might split us up when the game started. When the whistle blew, we were up to our thighs in snow. The wind was strong and blew flurries all around us. The only thing in sight was a huge steel radio tower up the hill. I cleared enough space in the snow for me to tap my foot and get my speed going. I smirked. "Game on. Try to keep up, Griff," I joked as we set off across the tundra with Ward. To our right, a loud crack rang through the air. "That can't be good," I muttered.

"Time to go!" Griffin yelled, panicked.

"Oh, shit!" Ward shouted at the same time.

Three opposing players were on top of the hill causing an avalanche.

"Bollocks," I tried to think fast enough. I channelled my magic into the snow around me to try and build a barrier, but it was a bit shaky. The centre of the wall was sturdy enough to hid behind, but with the weight of the snow and rocks rolling down, I didn't know if it would hold. I ducked behind it, hoping Griffin and Ward had gotten out of the way in time.

When the snow settled and all that lingered in the air was powder, I heard Griffin call from a few metres away. "Percy! Are you okay?"

I popped up from my newly formed burrow. "I'm alright!" I called back when I found Griffin hunched behind a large boulder of his own making. "Where's Ward?" I asked, spinning around just in time to see him trying to stop the snow with a fireball, but he just wasn't fast enough and got ploughed over by the snow. "Ward!" Before either of us could get to him, an arm made of ice pulled his flag out of the rubble. He'd been teleported back.

"Too easy," a pompous looking guy from the other team said when he snatched the flag from the icy grip of his creation.

The loose snow around me began to pick up in the wind, blinding me from everything around me. All I could see was a shadow stalking towards me through the flurry. I took a blind step backwards, not sure if it was a real shadow or just another person. As I stumbled back into the snow, the blue jersey of the other team peeked through the swirling flurry. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, his blonde hair shining in the sunlight above us.

I looked back to where Griffin had been before the winds picked up, but I couldn't see him. I heard him, though. "Two against three is bad odds! We need to get out of here!" I nodded and scrambled to my feet. Controlling the water, I made the snow heavier and let it fall out of my way so I could run. I met up with Griffin right as the terrain began to shift. As if it was a cruel joke, the next landscape was _inside a volcano_. Lava shot up from geysers all around us. We kept running forward, which was safe, since the ground beneath us began sinking into the magma. "Watch your step!" Griffin caught my arm and pulled me forward.

"This place is a death trap!" I yelled as I scrambled forward around the corner.

Captain was hunched behind a rock column in the middle of the cave. When he saw us, he put his finger to his lips and motioned for us to get low and hide. A girl from the other team was just on the other side, separated from her teammates.

"How exactly am I supposed to cross this?" she panicked, staring at the river of lava blocking her from her target path.

Captain gave a nod before starting forward toward the girl. _He's gonna get spotted if he isn't careful. I could distract her…_ I put my hand to the floor, causing it to tremor. She lost her balance and had to readjust her stance. I made eye contact with my captain, informing him of my plan. He stayed low until I was able to knock the girl off her feet with the next tremor, allowing him to dart over and steal her flag.

"I knew I could count on you, Miller," Cap held up the flag in triumph, but his voice echoed through the cave, alerting the opposing team to our position as their teammate was transported out.

The pompous player from before leapt over the lava river, hands glowing, and postured against the captain. "Ready to dance?"

"Runnin' out of catchphrases?" I popped out of my spot to defend my captain, but just as I did, the blonde guy from earlier stepped out from around a stalagmite pillar.

"I call the Sun-Att!" he said, excited to take me down. I caught a glimpse of his sleeve. He was a Water-Att. I had to use that against him, but I didn't know how in the moment.

"Cap, what do we do?" I asked, looking around for Griffin, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Split up!" he responded quickly, sprinting off through the cave system with three of the opposing team's players after him. I did as I was told and bolted in the opposite direction.

"They're getting away!" the blonde called out to his teammates.

"Not if we can help it," cliché boy said, joining the blonde in pursuit of me.

I was able to dodge through and around the pools of lava and the rock formations, but a shadow up ahead got my attention. "No, no…," I panicked, looking for a different direction to run in, but when I looked back to the corner I'd seen it in, the shadow was gone.

"Percy, are you okay?" Griffin suddenly appeared next to me again.

I put my hand to my chest. "Thank god. I thought you got caught," I sighed, but we didn't have time. "I'm fine. I was… just seeing things." I pushed him forward and we continued to bolt across lava patches to avoid the guys behind us until the terrain shifted. This time, we were in a massive temple courtyard, covered with vines and tree roots. I was able to stop and pull on the back of Griffin's jersey just before we collided with the stone wall. We both collapsed, panting, but still looking around anxiously. "Do you think we lost them?"

"Not likely," he said through deep breaths.

I ducked behind one of the enormous trees and peered through the roots to look for blue uniforms. The shadows of the forest and stone walls began to move. It looked like the one that had attacked me in the mirror dimension. "Griffin! There!" I pointed through the wood.

"Where?" he asked, not seeing anything.

When I looked back, there wasn't anything there either. Just regular shadows. "I don't think I got enough sleep," I sighed. I felt a cool breeze on my face and welcomed it until I felt a tug around my waist. I'd done that move before and knew what it felt like. I whirled around and tried to snatch it out of the air, but it drifted too far.

"I'll be taking that," the blonde one smirked, controlling the breeze.

"I'd think not," I said, redirecting the breeze back to me and snagging my flag back. "That doesn't belong to you."

"Hey!" he objected, trying to get the wind to obey, but it was already too late. I'd reattached my flag to my belt.

"Since you're here, be a dear and give me your flag instead," I smirked, standing to my full height with Griffin next to me, ready to go.

"Not a chance," cliché boy appeared from the treeline, clapping his hands and creating a stone wall between the two of us. "Move!" he commanded the blonde one.

"Got it!" he started off in my direction.

"Percy, are you okay?" Griffin's voice was muffled, but I could hear it through the wall.

"I'm alright, but the one with the glasses is headed-," before I could finish, I heard Griffin shout. "Griffin!" The forest was silent. I couldn't even hear the one sneaking up on me. I knew he was coming, but I didn't know where he was. "Oh no…" A rustling in the trees behind me caused me to spin around, but whatever I thought I saw there wasn't there. On a spur of the moment decision, I bolted towards the sound… right as the terrain shifted. I looked around in the new, more open swamp area, but no-one was there… no-one… _Hold the phone. This is where I Atlas showed up durin' try-outs._ A snapping twig made me whirl around to find the blonde guy who'd been chasing me the entire game. He was so still, like a statue. When I looked closer, his blue eyes were glossed over with a creamy looking film. He stretched his hand out and darkness flickered in the corners. After a moment, even the sun seemed to disappear. "Bloody hell." Another crack made me spin around to dodge out of the way just as a tree began to fall my direction, or at least I thought I did. I couldn't see well enough and one of the branches caught my leg, tearing a gash into my calf. _Fuck. Fuck. Not good._ My eyes were adjusting, but pain kept me from thinking clearly. I looked around and saw the player walking towards me, his attitude completely different from his earlier quips and tricks. "Bloody hell, you could've killed me!" I shouted up at him, but I got no response.

When he did speak, it wasn't really him. His lips moved, but the voice echoed from the trees around us. It was deep and gravelly. "It seems you're not so hard to catch after all."

"Raife," I whispered, shaking a bit. I was injured and alone. How was I supposed to face him myself?

"Well, well, well, you've _heard_ of me," the player grinned, but it was lifeless and distorted. "Now then, why don't you just come quietly?"

"Not likely," I muttered, hastily scrambling to my feet. My leg _hurt_. _Focus. Focus._ My body began to glow, allowing me to see again. I threw my hand up, releasing a strong beam of light from my palm as I gripped at my leg with the other hand. The light slammed into the bloke, knocking him to the ground. He scrambled up, his eyes back to normal, but it was like he was struggling to maintain control.

"Foolish child!" Raife screeched.

I tried to make a run for it, but he was impossibly quick. He cut me off in a second and slammed his palm into my forehead. My vision went blurry and I lost my balance, nearly hitting the ground again. When I thought I might be stable enough, my feet got swept out from under me, the player's foot connecting with my injured calf first. I fell beside the swamp, my head nearly in the dank water.

"Bring him."

The guy grabbed my wrist and began dragging me into the water. I scrambled, trying to reach for _anything_ to help me get away, but I couldn't grab anything fast enough. I got pulled under the surface of the murky water. _Not good, not good._ I struggled, trying to get loose, but his fingernails bit into my wrist and he was easily able to keep me under. _Air… I need…_ My mind was racing so much that I didn't know how to react. _Breathe. Stay calm and focus. Breathe._ I could hear Atlas' words in my mind. _Right._ I tried to still the water. It took some doing, but I managed to take one good breath. After that, they were harder. The swamp water burned my leg and my whole body ached. I struggled again, pulling the guy under the water with me. I managed to thrash enough to knock he air out of him with my foot and pull out of his grip, but on my way back to the surface, the water itself was holding me under as a strong current picked up. It was like being stuck under a wave near the shore. I was getting tumbled around and thrown about with no way to get air anymore. I heard something that sounded like screaming and turned around to grab at the water below me. I couldn't see, but I knew where he was. I grabbed his belt and tried to pull both of us up, but nothing I did worked. _C'mon. If you can't hydrobreathe, at least be useful!_ I struggled again, trying to pull him up, but my hand slipped, and I felt him pull away from me. I'd grabbed his flag.

A loud popping sound echoed through the water before it began to recede, throwing me on the grass of the pitch. As the crowd cheered, I coughed and sputtered, water falling from my mouth as I tried to get up. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by people, loud, fumbling people.

"You did it, rookie!" Cap yelled, pulling me by my arm to my feet, but I nearly collapsed, unable to carry my own weight.

"Percy?!" Griffin tackled everyone else out of the way. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling my arm around his neck to lift me up.

"Of course he's alright!" Ward cheered in my ear. "He just made us champs for a second year in a row!"

When I could breathe again, I looked over the shoulders of our team to try to find the guy who'd attacked me, but he was already on the other side of the pitch with his less than happy teammates.

Cap threw his arm around me and beamed. "How does it feel being the one to win the championship for Penderghast?"

"I'm cheese off!" I shouted only loud enough for the team to hear me. "Where the bleedin' hell was the ref when I was drownin' jus' now?"

"Did you say drowning?" Griffin looked me over, just realising that I was drenched as well as covered in mud.

"All the other players were out, and that forest was pretty thick. I bet the ref couldn't even see you," Ward offered. "But it's just like the other team to play dirty. They should be suspended from the league," he spat in my defence.

"Who cares! Percy came out on top!" Cap cheered. "That's all that matters."

"To whom?" I hissed, glaring up at him. I tried to stand on my own, but any pressure on my leg sent pain up passed my hips. I hissed at the pain and grabbed at my leg.

Griffin shifted us so that he was between me and the rest of the team. "I think what Percy is trying to say is that he needs a breather. We'll see you all at the party later," he said, buffering the tension to get me out of there. He didn't even wait for an answer before he began helping me off the pitch. "What happened to your leg?" he asked, looking down at my muddy shorts.

"A tree fell. Got caught on a branch," I said, inhaling sharply as we hobbled off to the tunnel.

He set me down on the bench and looked me over. "Percy! This is bad. This needs to get looked at."

Just as he spoke, Atlas came out from the shadows near the locker room door. "Percy!" he slid on his knees in front of me and immediately looked at my leg. He took the water bottle from Griffin and used it to clean the mud away from the wound. "I'll kill him," he grumbled to himself, I assumed about Raife.

"I'm fine," I lied, but tried to reassure him.

"I'm an empath, remember? I can literally smell how not fine you are right now," he hissed at me before pulling out his bottomless magic sack. "That guy almost got the better of you," he said in a hushed tone as he shuffled through his bag. He pulled out an old cloth and a few bandages, scowling every time he looked me over. With as angry as he was, his hands were gentle when he patched me up. "You're wet."

I nodded. "After the tree hit me, I got dragged into the swamp," I explained.

"Under the water?" he asked to clarify. When I nodded, his brows curled in concern. "Are you alright, other than this?" he continued to patch me up.

"I suppose I'm a bit shaken, but I'm alright," I nodded.

He froze for a moment after tying the last bandage then sat up to wrap his arms around me awkwardly. I could feel how fast his heart was racing, and when he touched me, I could feel how nervous and scared he was. He gave me a quick pat on the back before letting me go and clearing his throat. "Right. Where's this guy that tried to kill you?"

"Dunno," I said simply, still feeling a bit out of sorts. "He left with his team from what I saw."

"Is that him?" Griffin pointed his chin towards the exit of the tunnel where a single player with a blue jersey was wondering aimlessly around.

"Yeah, that's him," I said, pushing myself to my feet.

"Don't get up," Atlas scolded me, but he wasn't going to stop me from trying to figure out what happened out there. When he saw the look I gave him, he sighed. "Fine," was all he said before throwing my arm over his shoulder.

I looked back at Griffin. "You two go ahead. I'll stand guard to make sure no-one catches you."

"Right," I nodded before the two of us worked our way over to the blonde guy.

He looked up when he heard us coming and Atlas dropped me to go pin him against the wall. "You've got a lot to answer for," he hissed lowly. "Who sent you? What do you want with Percy?"

"What are you talking about-," he tried to say, looking way in over his head.

"You tried to drown me durin' the game," I said, either too tired to be angry, or nicely even tempered. "Tryin' to kill the opposing players isn't your normal strategy for your team, is it?"

"Wait a second!" he shouted, his hand up in surrender. "Did you say 'kill''?"

"Tell us what you know. Now," Atlas readjusted his grip, pulling the guy off the ground to his toes and pulling back his fist, sparks crackling around his knuckles.

"Okay, okay!" he gave up, face falling. Atlas took a step back as a gesture of good faith.

I leant against the wall to support myself. "Just tell us what you remember."

He shook his head. "Honestly, the end of the match is kind of a blur. I didn't hit my head… at least… I don't think I did, but maybe I was concussed… Because one second I was running through the woods and the next it was over. Honest." He glanced down at Atlas, who was fuming. "I don't even remember you getting my flag."

"What do you think, Percy? You're call," Atlas kept his eyes locked with the blonde's.

"He's tellin' the truth," I sighed.

"You seriously trust him?" he twisted his head around to make sure I wasn't loony or something. "His story is full of holes!"

I nodded. "I know, but you didn't see what I saw in there. When he was attackin' me, it was clear he was bein' possessed. His eyes were cloudy, and he wasn't speakin' with his own voice. He's just a pawn."

"Someone was possessing me? What do they want with me? Are they going to come after me again?" the kid started freaking out.

I shook my head. "They're after me, not you. Once you get back to your school, I'm certain you'll be alright. They won't bother you again." I sighed again. "I just wish you could remember more…"

"Um, well, I don't know if it's much to go on, but I remember looking into the water of that swamp, and seeing a reflection, but it wasn't me," he said. Atlas and I shared a look. "It was an old man. He looked… really creepy, and he had a strange amulet on his cloak."

"What else did you see?" I asked.

"Behind his reflection was a cavernous room, and a giant device rising to the sky," he recalled.

"What kind of device?" Atlas let him go, but stayed close for if he needed to grab him again.

"I didn't get a good look at it, just a glimpse," he said. "Look, I should really get going… I'm sorry about what happened, I really am. I wish I could be more help."

Atlas and I shared another look before he let the kid go off towards the locker rooms. "Well, I survived the game. Security should be back up to normal, so that'll be the last we hear from Raife for a while," I was mostly trying to reassure myself.

"I wouldn't count on that," Atlas scowled. "Raife attacked you in broad daylight, Percy. He's only getting bolder. We need to be extra cautious."

"But-," I argued, not wanting to deal with anymore of Raife's shit for a while. At least a few days.

"I'm going to see if I can figure out a strategy for dealing with Raife, and then I'll be training with Swan tonight," he informed me. "In the meantime, don't let your guard down. And stay off that leg." He gave me one last look before disappearing into the shadows.

I groaned and started back towards Griffin, who was on his way over anyway. He hauled me off to the nurse, who taped up my leg better than my brother did, not for lack of heart or know-how, just because she's a nurse. She gave me an ointment to put on it every morning and night, then sent me back to my dorm with the promise that it should be as good as new in three days.

That night, after several hours of staying in my room and drinking healing teas that Shreya demanded I drink, she came into my room holding a garment bag. "You don't look like you've moved for hours," she gasped.

"For good reason," I joked, sitting up on my bed. "It's been a long day."

"Well, I have just the thing to cheer you up," she beamed.

"Let me guess, clothes?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Well, the big party to celebrate your win is starting any minute, and I thought I'd help you pick out what to wear."

I leaned forward on my knees. "I was just gonna wear the shirt you bought me before, or my uniform."

She rolled her eyes. "Percy, you just won the championship for Penderghast. You're about to be the most popular person in the whole school. You can't be seen wearing the same thing twice. You need an outfit to impress! Lucky for you, your roommate is the fashionista of the century." She held out the garment bag to me. "I did some last-minute shopping."

"Why am I not surprised," I chuckled. I took the bag when she shook it expectantly. "Fine. I'll meet you in the common room." She squealed and left my room. She'd gone all out again. Nice blazer, v-neck shirt, pocket square, and slacks. It was quite nice, actually. And comfortable. I stepped outside my room and did a small, slow spin. "Whatcha think?"

"You look like the star of the school," she beamed. "Now, the two of us are sure to be the most stylish, and fashionably late, people at this party," she grabbed her purse and a flowy cardigan then made her way over to the door.

"We'd better get goin' then. I need to tell Beckett and Zeph what happened durin' the game anyway." I was about to follow her into the hall when I spun around to grab one last thing from my room. I'd nearly forgotten the emergency mirror.

The party was all over the entire campus. The laser statue was covered in Dryxmar scarves and caps, the buildings all had streamers and balloons, and the sky was filled with orbs of light and fireworks.

"They may have overdone it," I joked.

"Of course," Shreya smirked. "It was the biggest game of the season, after all."

As we started looking for our group, several people that I didn't know or didn't know well stopped me to congratulate me on my win. One girl said, "I still can't believe you pulled it off, Percy. Looks like I was wrong about you." I didn't even remember her name, let alone any conversation we may have had with one another.

"This is bizarre," I admitted, trying to wedge my way through the crowd.

"Welcome to your new life as a celebrity," Shreya squealed. "It's hard, but oh so worth it."

We finally spotted everyone huddled near the greenhouse. When we got there, Griffin looked upset. "What's up, mate?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Percy," he frowned. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there during the end of the game. The player I chased got my flag at the same time I got his and the ref said we were both out."

Shreya nodded. "Yeah, we were all pretty worried when we saw Griffin on the bench. We couldn't find you anywhere."

"Especially with how thick that forest was," Beckett added. "I don't even think the referee knew what was happening."

"But then you won the game!" Zeph bounced excitedly. "So we figured you must have been okay!" He leant on my shoulder, putting pressure on my leg, and I whinced.

"I don't know about that. I'm alright now, but things were about to go seriously wrong," I admitted. I filled them in on the whole story, from seeing the false shadows to almost drowning. "If I hadn't accidently grabbed his flag, I'd probably be in a sorrier state." I paused and looked around at all their worried faces. "Even with security back up, Atlas is worried that Raife is goin' to come after me again. He thinks I should keep my guard up."

"He's not wrong," Griffin agreed. "You should still be careful, but…"

"You can't just stop living!" Shreya finished for him.

"Besides, you at least have a reprieve for tonight, since it's unlikely that Raife will attack twice in the same day," Beckett reasoned.

Zeph jumped a few times. "Which means it's time to _celebrate_!" he cheered.

I laughed. "I suppose you're right. I could use a bit of fun."

"Also, Percy, your outfit is _killing it_!" Zeph praised, looking me up and down.

"Blame Shreya, as per usual," I smiled.

"That's right," she gloated. "You can all thank my impeccable taste, though it does look amazing on you, Percy."

"I try," I chuckled.

"I couldn't be more thrilled that we've managed to win the championship two years in a row!" Cap's voice rang out over the quad from the statue. We all turned to face him. "I'd like to give a shout out to Griffin Langley, for recruiting some astounding talent," everyone raised their plastic cups or clapped, "including our star player of the night, Perseus Miller!" My friends all nudged me lovingly as the crowd turned to look at me. "Percy played one of the greatest games of Thief I've seen in my career. No matter what the other team threw at him, he handled it! And on top of that, he went one-on-one against the opposing team and came out on top! We couldn't have won without him!" Cups were raised high again and the crowd cheered and screamed.

After a moment, the crowd quieted down and turned to me. Griffin leant over my shoulder and whispered, "Go on, Percy. Say something."

I hesitated for a moment, but decided to say something. I borrowed Beckett's glass to do a quick toast. "I just want to say a quick thanks to all my mates here. This year has been… well, one adventure after another, and I definitely couldn't have done any of it without them." I looked back at them with a wide grin before turning back to the crowd and raising my glass. "Cheers, Penderghast!" The crowd cheered and the captain jumped down from the statue.

As I handed Beckett his drink back, a girl tapped my shoulder. "What you did today was amazing," she grinned.

"Thanks," I nodded. I knew her from somewhere, but I couldn't place it.

"This is going to sound weird, but I've liked you for a while now ever since I had a dream about you fighting a giant shadow arm," she said, and I bit my cheek. _That's where I know her from…_ "It must be your strong aura imprinting on me."

"Uh, sure, yeah. That's definitely what happened," I lied.

When she walked off, the captain made his way over to us, throwing his arm around my shoulders. "Alright, rookie, are you ready for the Championship Challenge?"

"You what, mate?"

Griffin pointed over to the lake, where multicoloured fountains shot up from the water.

"It's where we all jump in the lake to celebrate our big win!" Cap grinned. "It's traditional for the person who pulls the last flag to go first. You'll get the biggest splash if you leap from the top fountain, where everyone can see you."

I stared hesitantly at the lake. "And how, pray tell, am I supposed to get up there?"

"You can just jump between them. They're a little rickety, but they're enchanted so they'll hold your weight. I did it last year," Griffin explained.

"No!" Shreya objected. "You've seen his leg. He can't go jumping anywhere like that!"

I waved it off. "It's for the people," I joked, sounding like a royal. She pushed her lip out at me, but didn't say anything else about it. "Let's go, then," I agreed, letting them push me over to the lake. I kicked off my shoes and blazer then leapt out onto the closest fountain, landing on my good leg.

"Everyone!" Cap shouted. "Check it out! Percy's about to take on the Championship Challenge!"

The crowd began to gather as I managed to hop to the second fountain. The third was a bit of a catch. I landed on my knees, which didn't feel too good, but I stood up anyway.

"Do a flip!" someone in the crowd called.

"Percy, Percy, Percy!" they began chanting.

I looked down, which I shouldn't have. I wasn't the biggest fan of heights. "Well, here goes," I mumbled before throwing myself off the fountain to the lake below. I tucked my core, protecting my leg, as I hit the water. When I resurfaced, the water was gold everywhere I swam, fading to pinks and purples in the trail. I swam to shore and pulled myself out, flinging the water off of my arms.

"Percy! Are you okay?" Shreya asked, looking me over. When I nodded and she agreed that everything was fine, she slapped my arm. "You nearly got me all wet! Do you know how expensive this top was?" she scolded me. I laughed as the rest of the team rushed into the lake, splashing gold and purple water everywhere.

I dried my clothes and put my shoes back on. "I've had enough water for one day."

Later that night, the crowds were thinning, and smaller groups were gathering near key spots in the quad. Zeph strolled over to me with his new drink in hand.

"So, now that the school year is almost over, it's time for the Amorelia Day Gala," he said, a sly grin on his face.

His connotation was lost on me. "The what?"

He beamed. "It's a huge dance to celebrate the coming of spring! Any idea who you want to go to the dance with?" he asked, nudging my arm.

"I could ask Aster. I'm sure she'd enjoy that," I said, looking out over the remnants of the party.

"I'm sure she would," he agreed. "The night is still young. Do you want to sneak off with anyone tonight?" he nudged me again.

I chuckled and pushed his elbow away from mine. "It's been a long enough day as it is. For now, I'm happy right here," I said.

"I feel you," he grinned. "So, are you going to ask Aster tomorrow, then?"

I smiled. "I think I will. Do you think that's alright?"

He teetered his head. "It's a little unorthodox, but considering the gala is part of a celebration with the Fae, I'm sure a wood nymph would be welcome."

I nodded. "I just thought that she'd love to get a chance to see the school, especially for a big dance."

"And I bet she'll love the chance to spend more time with you," he nudged me again, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Stop, mate," I laughed. "It's decided then. I'll ask her the next time I'm in Penn Square."

He took a long sip of his drink. "I'm just glad all the chaos is finally over. Monster attacks and super evil bad guys are way too stressful for me."

I looked out over the lake, feeling that ominous foreshadowing… "I don't think it's the end of our worries, Zeph. As long as Raife is out there, he's going to keep coming after me."

"I know," he sighed. "And I'll support you when that happens, but for now you should try and focus on something else, like how amazing the gala is going to be."

"I hope you're right."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: When the Moon Hits Your Eye

I woke up peacefully for the first time in a long time. The sun streamed in through my curtains onto my face, filling me with energy for the day. I snuggled into my pillow, completely comfortable… until my covers were pulled away from me. I clawed for them in a desperate attempt to not open my eyes. Orien, who'd been sleeping on my legs, tried to recover them from me, but my evil twin refused to let him do so.

"Rise and shine," he said in his most comforting and warm manner.

"You have ten minutes to get ready before we go shopping!" Shreya's voice carried to my ears across the room. "I need to buy a new dress before the Amorelia Day Gala."

It wasn't until after I'd come to my senses that I'd remembered how I'd fallen asleep. "Crikey!" I fumbled to sit up and cover my lap with the sheets. I'd been sleeping in my underwear, and it wasn't the right morning to have a girl showing up in my room. Luckily, her face had been turned away already. I wondered what she saw and if it would ever affect our friendship…

"I didn't see anything," she snickered.

"I'm coming along with you two for the laughs, and to prevent you from being murdered in broad daylight," my brother said, pulling clothes from our closet and throwing a pair of jeans at me.

"No, no. Not that," Shreya peeked over at what Atlas was doing and shuttered. "I swear, you boys have no taste." She pushed him out of the way and began throwing items at me. Atlas watched her movements carefully, as if he'd actually been paying attention to her words and lessons.

"Um… Isn't it dangerous for you to be out… in public?" I asked, yawning a bit.

"Don't worry. I'll stay out of sight," he assured me.

Shreya turned and smiled at me, but something on her face showed her unease. It'd been weeks since the championship game, and my friends had been planning for the gala all the while. Only Atlas and I were planning for the worst, and Shreya had to hear about it all the time in the common room. If she was uneasy now, it had to be a sign.

"Shreya, I don't know about this dance," I said, pulling the shirt Shreya'd thrown at me over my head. "After everythin' that's happened, how can we just… party? We're still in danger. Who knows what'll happen next?"

She stood directly in front of me and placed her hands on either side of my face. "That's exactly why we need this. We need a chance to unwind and celebrate the fact that we're still alive and fighting." When she stood straight, her rich smile returned. "Now I'll leave you to get ready. Chop, chop!" she spun on her heel and headed for the door. "Those dresses aren't going to try themselves on." Before she left, she stared at Atlas expectantly. He took a few steps toward her and got pulled the rest of the way into the common room. _What's with them?_ I shrugged it off and got dressed. Black jeans, gold belt, black button up, gold tie pins. She did have a knack for picking clothes. "Percy, hurry up!" she called through the door. "Shopping is a first come, first serve activity!"

"A'wight, I'm comin'!" I laughed and rolled my eyes as I stumbled out the door to follow them. "You comin'?" I asked Orien, who was still lying on the bed. He looked up at me for a moment, then put his head back down on my pillow. "Guess not. Sleep well, bud."

Penn Square was busier than it had been even in the holiday seasons. Festival music played between the roar of the crowds and shop owners. There were flowers everywhere. Navigating wasn't too hard with Shreya ploughing everyone over to get to Aster's shop. She may have been small, but she was a bull when it came to shopping.

"Shreya! Happiest of Amorelia Days to you!" Aster greeted Shreya with a hug before turning to me. Her flowers rustled happily as she blushed. "Hello, Percy."

"Hiya, Aster," I couldn't help my smile. She was as radiant as she was every day.

"You must be Atlas," she beamed when she saw him. "I've heard much about you," she approached him like she was going for a handshake, so when Atlas extended his hand, he was shocked to be pulled down by the neck into a hug. He shot me a desperate look. I shrugged, thinking it was adorable.

"We're here to shop for the school gala," Shreya reminded us, tapping her foot a bit impatiently.

"Naturally," Aster let my brother go and returned to working her store. "I've prepared a selection in anticipation of your visit." She led us to the clothing section of her store and waved her hand, revealing a wrack she'd put aside.

Without missing a beat, Shreya began to rummage through the items. "Too glittery, too scaly, too Merlin-y…," she mumbled. "Ah! Now we're talking! Here, Percy, try these on." Without looking, she handed a hand full of hangers back to me.

"I thought this trip was for you. I didn't realise you were shoppin' for me," I took the clothes from her with hesitation.

"Don't be ridiculous. I've seen your closet. Your current wardrobe is lacking ridiculously in style and formality," she spoke as she sorted through some other wracks.

I sighed. "Alright," I gave in and slipped into the booth. Out of the three options she gave me, I'd picked a blue three piece with a floral blouse. I looked quite good.

When I stepped out from behind the curtain, Aster squeaked delightfully. "Yes, oh yes. You look simply divine!"

Atlas nodded, impressed, like he thought I couldn't clean up well. "Not bad."

"Not bad?" Shreya laughed. "Percy is _stunning_. An absolute shoo-in for best dressed, if I do say so myself, and I do."

"And with that sort of confidence, I'll take it," I smirked.

"Hold on," Shreya stopped me before I went back into the booth to change out. "Your outfit just needs one final touch." She pulled out a circlet of silver leaves and placed it on my head. "Perfect."

"Oh, your hair looks so different!" Aster's eyes went wide. "…In the most wonderful way," she added, but I could tell it wasn't her first thought.

"I love it," Shreya smirked proudly. "It magically transforms your hair into the perfect gala look."

Aster nodded in agreement. "Yes, an Amorelia headpiece is traditional for one's inaugural celebration."

"This is a must for your very first Amorelia Day!" Shreya used Aster to gang up on me…

I needed to see what they were talking about before I agreed to anything, so I went to look at the mirror on the far wall. When I saw myself, I nearly fell over. "Bloody hell! What happened to my hair?" I tentatively touched around my hairline, wondering how in the world my hair managed to go from white to brown in an instant. I took the headpiece off and my hair regained its natural pastiness. "What the…" In all my years, any time I'd tried to dye my hair, it never worked, but here was this magical leaf that could do it temporarily in an instant. "Mint."

"I'm glad you like it," she beamed. "I knew it could complete your look."

I put the silver circlet back on, making my hair brown again. "I look like a royal," I raised an eyebrow at the mirror, impressed with myself. When I looked at it closer, I noticed that the tips of my hair were still light purple, but my roots were _dark_.

"Stop staring at yourself and go change," Atlas rolled his eyes.

"Alright, _Dad_," I teased, ducking back into the booth to dress down. I took the suit up to the counter, where Aster was biting her lip and staring at me. "What is it?" I smiled shyly.

"I just… I can't wait to see the gala. I'm so excited," the flowers in her hair rustled. "I've never been to a gala before."

"Does your school not do dances?" I asked.

She shook her head. "If only. The closest thing we have are probably the ceremonial forest dances, and those are so dull!" she frowned. "The grand-trees aren't exactly known for enjoying a 'sick bass drop', as you humans say."

I took her hand in mine. "I'm glad you've decided to go with me," I kissed the back of her hand, making her giggle sweetly.

"It's like a dream!" she cheered. "I'm going to _the_ Amorelia Day Gala!" Her eyes darted over to Shreya and Atlas. Shreya was holding dresses up to herself and turning like she was about to as his opinion, but then she'd turn around swiftly and shake her head. "What about your twin? Atlas, will you be attending the gala as well?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Fancy galas aren't my scene." He shook his head dismissively, but his shoulders were sagging a bit lower than usual.

I walked over to him, keeping my voice low. "Atlas, are you sure you don't want to go? Maybe we can sneak you in or somethin'."

He shook his head again. "Look, I appreciate the offer, and maybe…," he paused, his frown forming a bit more than he'd wanted it to. "Maybe I do want to spend one night pretending I'm a normal Penderghast student who can hang out and party and just _live_, but if I went, we might as well present our heads on a silver platter to our enemies. I can't risk letting myself be seen."

Not wanting that to be the end of the conversation, I looked around, hoping to find a solution. Low and behold, in Maison D'Yew, everything can be found. I spotted an ornate mask hanging on the wall next to a hat rack. It was and old masquerade mask with golden trim and a diamond-like set of gems covering the face. "What if we disguised you?" I suggested. "If you wore a mask, you could be anyone…"

Aster giggled next to me. "You most certainly could, particularly with the Mask of Distortion." She hurried behind the counter and pulled out a small wooden case holding several sets of what looked like contact cases. "The Mask of Distortion is glamoured so that people instantly forget the wearer the moment they look away, but if you wear this matching set of Distortion Lenses, you're immune to its magic!" she bounced giddily.

"Brilliant! You could wear the mask to the gala, so no-one notices you, and we'll all wear the lenses so we can interact with you," I was almost as excited as Aster was. My brother, the hard man with no life experiences, going to a gala.

"Really? What if it doesn't work?" he asked, truly thinking about it.

"It has a 100% guarantee of identity protection!" Aster reassured him. "And, as the Attuned say, you only live once!" I nodded in agreement, holding the mask out to him.

"That… that does sound like a fool-proof way of getting me into the dance," he thought aloud.

I smirked. "Consider me your fairy godtwin!" I joked. "You will go to the ball, Cinder-Atlas."

"Fine, as long as you promise never to call me that again," he glared at me.

I snorted. "No promises."

He took the mask from me and tried it on. As soon as it touched his face, it shimmered in the light and disappeared.

"Wait, who was I talkin' to?" I looked to Aster to figure out why I'd been facing the wall. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, I remembered that I'd handed the mask to Atlas. I looked up to see that he'd taken the mask off.

"Wow, you weren't lying. This thing really works," he looked it over in his hands, not believing what just happened. I couldn't believe it myself.

"Like I said," she beamed, "100% guaranteed identity protection. The mask comes with six complementary lenses, enough for the rest of us."

I took the mask from him and set it on the pile of clothes I had sitting on the counter.

"Thanks, Percy. I'll find a way to repay you-"

Before I even let him finish that thought, punched his arm and said, "Two words. Brotherly. Bondin'." A smile pulled at his mouth.

Just as that was wrapping up, Shreya finally came out from the clothing rack she'd buried herself in, dress in hand. "Hello, mortals. Your goddess has found her garb!" she strutted over to the counter and dropped a heavy bag filled with coins. "Now let's get back to the dorm. I need at _least_ five hours to prepare for this gala."

Before we left, I took a step closer to Aster. "I'll see you tonight?" I asked in a low voice.

She beamed up at me, her flowers turning a cute shade of pink. "Oh, yes. I'm very much looking forward to it." She was so precious.

"I'll pick you up this evening, and we can head over together," I suggested.

She grinned. "I'll be ready!"

I ran my thumb along her cheek and pressed my lips to her forehead. "See you then."

She nodded, biting her lip lightly. "Yes. See you then."

That evening, while Shreya was getting ready, the two of us screwed around in my room, just waiting for the right time to change. When it was apparently time, Shreya stormed into the room with a huff.

"You boys… Get dressed! The gala starts in under an hour!" she was completely dolled up already, but she was still holding a garment bag. Before I could ask what it was for, she held it out to my brother. "This is for you, Atlas," she said sweetly.

His eyes went wide. I think he'd thought he could just wear his leather get-up and be done with it, but Shreya had other plans. He unzipped the bag as she left the room and stared at it.

"Well, go on," I said. "Put it on."

Within the next ten minutes, we were both fully dressed. Atlas' jacket was midnight blue and covered in constellations. The slacks were black, and the blouse was white, no tie. He looked rather dashing. "How's this?" he asked, patting himself down to straighten any stray crease. "I'm going for 'trained assassin on his night off'."

I smirked. "It works for you." I pulled him next to me to look in the mirror above my bed. "We look like a pair of fit blokes, don't we?"

"We do," he agreed, not being his usual cranky self.

"I have one question, though," I said, holding him still before he could leave. With my arm around his shoulder, I looked into his eyes via the mirror. "Shreya," I started. "You fancy her?"

He shrugged out from under my arm. "What? No," he said a bit too quickly. I raised a brow at him knowingly. "She's… okay, I guess."

"Mhm, I knew it," I smirked. "She's definitely into you," I told him.

"Really?" he started, but cleared his throat. "Not that I care."

"Right," I nodded, humouring him.

"So… I'm gonna head to the gala first. Just to scope out the scene, find a comfy shadow to lurk in…"

"I'd expect nothin' less," I grinned, satisfied with myself. _He definitely blushed._ "I'll see you there."

After he left, there was a knock at the door. "Zeph, is that you?"

"Nah, I'm the pizza delivery guy," his voice muffled through the door. As soon as I opened the door, he stuck his tongue out.

"Where's my pizza, then?" I asked, jokingly.

"I ate it," he grinned. "Let's go before I strike again."

"In a minute," I said, eyeing his suit. It was an all-white suit with black trim and a black and silver tie. I whistled. "Lookin' slick, mate."

"You think?" he looked himself over. "I was kinda worried that a white suit was too much, but then I thought, whatever! Who cares what everyone else thinks?" His smile fell. "The answer is, I do. A lot. Painfully so," he pouted. "But I didn't have a backup suit."

"Zeph," I put my hand on his shoulder. "You made the right choice. Your suit screams 'dapper arse gentleman'."

He rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Then mission accomplished. Now, moving on from me," he eyed me. "Looks like someone's gunning for the title of Penderghast's Best Dressed."

"Oh, this old thing?" I played it off. "I'd say it's what's inside that counts, but… I look pretty damn good."

"So, are we going or what? I wanna get to the gala before all the snacks are gone," he looked down at his watch.

I patted his shoulder again. "You're a good man, Zeph, with your priorities straight."

"See, this is why we're friends. A mutual love of snackage," he smirked as we turned to leave my room.

In the common room, I turned back to the multi-door instead of following my mates out to the campus. "I'm gonna pick up Aster and meet you there. Wish me luck," I smiled nervously.

"Good luck," Zeph grinned. "Not that you need it."

When I got to Maison D'Yew, I knocked on the door.

"Hello, Percy," she greeted me shyly as she stepped out of the shop. My jaw dropped when I saw her. Aster was always beautiful, but that night she'd outdone herself. Every flower in her hair was accompanied by golden strands that twisted down through the rest of her wavy brown hair. Her leaves were even looking livelier than usual. Her dress… my god… her dress was made for her and no-one else. It was a dark, forest green, but the torso and end of the skirt were covered in sparkling gold gems. She looked like a true goddess.

"Aster," I greeted, unable to take my eyes off of her, or speak really.

She frowned at me. "Did I do something wrong? I hope I'm dressed correctly for-"

I waved my hands in front of me. "Um, no. You look stunnin'. I just… You look great," I smiled.

"Oh," she blushed. "Thank you." She bit her lip for a brief second than took a step back, looking me over, unblinking.

I looked around nervously. "Aster? Everythin' alright?"

"My family wanted to know what you looked like," she said, almost monotone. She blinked a few times and the smile returned to her face. "I was giving them a quick glimpse through my branching." She reached out and ran her hand down my sleeve, stopping to pinch the cuff in her fingers. "Plus, you're just breath-taking. I had to show off my date!" she blushed.

I smirked. "So, are we alone now?"

"Yes," her glittering eyes met mine. "It's just the two of us."

"Very well," I smiled, turning to offer my arm to her.

She took it with a giggle. "Bring me to this gala of yours," she commanded sweetly.

I led her through the campus, giving her a brief tour as we worked our way to the main building. When we neared the quad, she sighed happily.

"I've barely been on the Penderghast campus. It's magnificent!" she said giddily.

"You should visit more often," I put my free hand on the one she'd looped through my arm.

She nodded excitedly. "Oh, yes. I'd love to see more of all this."

"And maybe more of me?" I slipped in, smirking over at her.

She met my sly eyes. "I believe that was a given."

Aster and I arrived at the great hall just before the large crowd of students we'd seen parading around the campus. It was quite the spectacle, the gala. The floor was flooded with water, but we were able to walk on it as if it was glass. Fountains sprung up along the walls near long, galaxy coloured tubes that rose to the vaulted ceiling, where open umbrellas hovered overhead. Scattered through the centre of the floor were small lily pads with small candles burning at their cores. The far side of the room sported a snack table as grand as I'd ever seen, with a cake towering so high that I swore it might fall over. Other than the stars in the enchanted ceiling and the candles below, the only light flooding in was from the full moon just starting above the horizon.

"Wow," she stared in awe, seeming a bit overwhelmed.

I looked around the room with as much bewilderment, but paused and squinted at the far corner when I saw a most strange sight. "Is that… Kontos?"

"The esteemed Professor Kontos is orchestrating your music?" she gasped.

"Well, what do you know?" I smirked, impressed. "It looks like he's got music skills beyond just that pan flute of his."

"DJ Kontos in the house!" Zeph cheered, wrapping his arms over both of our shoulders from behind. "I love that guy," Zeph grinned as we walked away to investigate the rest of the room. "He's living his best life." Like a crush of rhinos, the rest of my friends, who'd been standing near a corner, rushed over to greet us, all looking rather giddy. "Motley Crew, assemble!" Zeph joked.

"Hey, Percy," my brother appeared next to me in the sneaky way he usually did.

"Atlas," I grinned. "Havin' fun?"

He shrugged, but I could tell he was fighting a smile. "Sure. It's cool. I don't hate it."

I looked him over, noticing his toes tapping subtly to the beat of the music. "High praise comin' from you," I beamed.

"You asked," he shrugged again.

Zeph pushed passed all of us to get to the dance floor, urging us to follow him. "I've been waiting for weeks to show you all this move! I learned it from a mermaid!" He moved his body like a piece of seaweed being pushed by a current and shimmied his shoulders.

Beckett huffed. "I give that a two out of ten," he scored, looking like a judge in his formalwear, which consisted of a navy-blue suit with golden tie and pocket square. He looked like he was headed for a job interview at a corporate office, not a collegiate party.

I nudged him in the side. "C'mon. That's worth at least a seven," I joked.

"Zeph, I can't let you steal the show," Shreya stepped up, pushing him gently out of her way. "Watch what I learned from the Paris club scene." She began what looked like a mix between ballet and a Hindu dance. After a moment, all of our friends were showing off and goofing around.

Griffin began to break dance, showing off some quite complex spins. I was surprised his suit held up to how flexible he was. "… and a handstand!" he instructed, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "It's pretty easy if you've got the core strength."

"Oh, I have something we can all do!" Aster cheered happily. "It's popular among us wood nymphs." Her leaves and flowers danced around, showing how excited she was.

Atlas slapped me lightly on the back of the head. "She's talking to you," he told me.

"Er, right. Yeah. Let's do it," I nodded, still captivated by her. She giggled and began doing a dance that was slow and graceful, like trees swaying in the wind. We all joined in, mimicking her moves. "This is like dance meditation," I closed my eyes and continued to follow her lead.

"It does seem to have emotionally stabilising properties," Beckett agreed, also still doing it. "I give it an eight out of ten."

Zeph scoffed. "What? No fair! Why did I get a two?"

Before I could hear the answer, Atlas grabbed my arm, pulling my ear to him. "We can do better than all of these fools," he whispered.

"You can dance?" I asked, dying to see what he was about to do.

He smirked. "Just follow my lead."

"How? We've never done this before," I started, but stopped when he gave me a look. I nodded in understanding as we both said, "Twintuition," aloud. We did our brotherly handshake before taking a step away from the group. Atlas began, doing a series of complicated gestures.

"What? A new challenger approaches!" Zeph announced, as slack-jawed as everyone else, including me.

He glanced at me and I jumped in, matching his every move. I felt like we were a barbershop dance team. We dropped to our knees and slid across the floor then I stood and laced my fingers together. Atlas ran at me, put his foot in my hands, and did a backflip, landing on his feet before we ended in a pose, me on my knee and Atlas standing above me, both with finger guns aimed around the room.

"Oh my god!" Shreya squealed. Atlas cheered, but quieted down with a bit of _embarrassment_ when he caught her staring at him.

"Guess we know who the best of the best is," Griffin clapped approvingly.

Aster bounced and clapped with him. "That was amazing!"

I stood up and raised a brow at Beckett. "So, what's the ratin', Beck?"

He thought for a moment, not a smile in sight. "I suppose I should award you a ten out of ten, for lack of better entries into this impromptu dance competition."

"It's called a _dance-off_, Beckett," Zeph threw his arm up onto his shoulder. "But yeah, agreed. Ten of ten!"

Atlas smirked as we bro-fisted. "As if I'd settle for anything less than sweet, sweet victory."

"We're unstoppable," I agreed, sticking my tongue out jokingly.

After the dance-off ended, we all split up to explore the happenings of the night. Aster wanted to investigate the umbrellas she'd seen people grabbing out of the air. "What a fantastic mode of flight!" she mused. "It's like that famed Attuned, Mary Poppins!"

"Mary Poppins is real?" I asked, but I honestly shouldn't have been surprised at that point. Everything fabled was turning out to be real. For all I knew, the Galactic Empire really was out there, wreaking havoc in another cosmos.

"Of course Mary Poppins is real," Zeph patted my shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have _got_ to try this." He squeezed passed me to get into the crowd of students that were jumping and flying around with the umbrellas.

"Have you ever seen anything so magical?" Aster's eyes lit up.

I smirked, not taking my eyes off of her. "I've seen a few things that leave this in the dust," I said, but I don't think she'd really understood what I'd meant.

"I was sceptical at first, since I'd heard that opening an umbrella indoors is considered bad luck among the Attuned," she fretted, but it faded back into her usual smile rather quickly. "But Zeph assured me that these umbrellas have been charmed to ward off any danger!" she beamed.

"It's one hundred percent safe and one hundred percent awesome!" Zeph cheered when we reached him in the crowd. "I'm gonna go grab one!" He darted through the rest of the crowd and leaped up to grab one of the higher umbrellas. When he began soaring around the room, he screamed, "I'm on top of the world!" The breeze he kicked up as he flew over us rustled our hair. "Guys! Check this out!" He swung his legs a few times before letting go of the handle, sending himself flying down to the floor.

"Oh no! You humans are all so fragile!" Aster gasped. "I hope he hasn't broken every bone in his body!"

"I wouldn't worry about him too much," I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. When Zeph sprung up from the floor, completely winded and filled with adrenaline, I said, "See? He's fine."

"What are you guys waiting for?" he shouted over to us. "This is the _best_!"

"Would you like to give it a go?" I asked.

She sighed. "I do, but… wood nymphs usually stay rooted to the ground. I don't know if I can handle flying about like that."

I took a step back, bowed, and extended my hand to her. "Shall we go together then, m'lady?"

She giggled and took my hand. "Yes, I think so! Two branches are better than one, after all."

I led her through the crowd and pointed to two accessible umbrellas above us. "High or low?"

She fidgeted nervously. "I'll let you choose."

"High it is," I nodded to myself before jumping up to grab the handle. The red umbrella dipped with my weight, allowing me to pick Aster up before it rebounded. With both of her arms around my neck, the umbrella shot up like I'd been secured with a bungee. I cheered as she screamed, her knees tightening around my hips. "Isn't this lovely?" I chuckled when the umbrella came to a calming stop above the rest of the canopy… that is, just before it began its descent again, swiftly dipping over the heads of the other students and toward one of the fountains on the far side of the room.

"Oh my goodness!" Aster's cheek pushed into my shoulder.

When we landed, I let the umbrella go and tried to comfort her. She'd frozen, still attached to me. I chuckled to myself before wrapping my arm around her waist. "Aster, are you alright?"

Her eyes were wide, but a smile painted itself across her face. She let go of me and bounced giddily. "That… was… amazing!" She leant into me, planting her lips on my cheek. "We're going again, right? Please say yes!"

I was such a git. She could have convinced me to jump off a bridge by looking at me like that. "Yeah," I beamed like an idiot. "You pick the umbrellas this time."

We rode several more, Aster clinging onto me the first few times, but eventually getting her own umbrella to swing around on. She was having the time of her life. After a while, she'd tired herself out and decided to get some snacks, so I took the opportunity to check in with the rest of the crew. Shreya and Griffin were raving about the cake over near the snack table.

"Chef Liyan Fang is Saint Montraire's rival in the culinary world, by the way," she informed him, but I was sure he just wanted to get a slice without the background story. "And some say his paramour," she giggled.

"So basically, this cake is very, very fancy," Griffin summed up.

"Sure sounds like it," I agreed, trying to save him so he could get his snack on. "Have you had a slice yet?" I gave him a look that he read perfectly.

"I was just about to," he returned with a thankful sigh. He turned around to pick his slice up from the table behind him and took a huge bite. As soon as he swallowed, he belched quite loudly in musical tones. His hand flew up over his mouth.

"I did warn you," Shreya laughed. "The Fang family is known for their magical dan ta and cakes," she gloated. "Percy, you should try a slice! But choose your tier wisely. There are three flavours, each with different effects."

I glanced over at the cake towering above the table. Three flavours were separated on each layer, strawberry, blueberry, and lemon. "That lemon looks alright."

"That's not all," Griffin added, when he got his voice back. "Where in the cake do you want to take a slice from?"

"Does that make a difference?" I asked, wondering what I was getting myself into. They both gave me a look that said I had to find out for myself. I shrugged and picked out a corner piece. The first bite was delicious. It didn't do anything weird either… until it did. Out of the corner of my eye, I started seeing bright colours. When I looked around, I noticed that everyone at the gala was surrounded by different coloured auras. Shreya was covered in an orangey red light that flickered like flames, and Griffin's was a muddy brown.

"Percy, you good?" he asked as I stared at him.

"I think I'm seein' your elemental auras…," I muttered, fascinated by the effect.

"Oh, I've had that one before!" Shreya mused. "Too bad you can't see your own aura."

I looked down at my hands. Sure enough, I looked perfectly normal. "Shame. That would be interestin'." Out of curiosity, I looked around the room at the crowd. Most of the room was covered in browns, blues, reds, and white, airy wisps. A few were silver or green. The one that caught my attention belonged to Dean Geoffe. It was a swirling mass of dark black with faint flickers of silver and deep green. With all of those combined, she definitely came across as more powerful than everyone else in the room. I squinted at her, noticing the aura fading away and struggling to see it for just a little bit longer. _I wonder…_

"My turn!" Shreya grabbed a plate of strawberry cake, crashing my train of thought. I shrugged off the seriousness my brain had been drifting into. This wasn't a day for worrying, it was a day for fun. Shreya's hand began to glow a soft pink after her first bite. She closed her fist and, when she opened it again, a pink lotus bloomed straight out of her palm.

"Oh, wow," I stared down at it, still impressed by every magical thing I saw. "It's beautiful."

"Just like me," She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I really must call Fang up and get his recipe."

I glanced around, searching for my date. I found her around the back of the table, eyeing slices of cake. "I recommend the lemon," I smiled as I approached her.

"I do like lemon flavoured candies…," she bit her lip, deciding between the many options. When she'd decided, she reached for a plate.

"Oh, Aster, watch out for-," I started, but she'd already taken a bite.

After a moment, she began to float. "Oh my!" Her feet were several inches off the floor.

"How do you feel?" I asked, readying my arms for her sudden descent.

"It's like I'm on a cloud!" Her nervousness turned to delight. "Attuned parties are fun!" She took another bite, giggling as she drifted slightly higher. I stood nervously next to her, glad to see her having a good time, but worried about the effect suddenly wearing off. When she finished her cake, just as I'd expected, she began to fall. I caught her in my arms, and she wrapped her hands around my neck instinctively. "Good catch," she blushed.

We were so close. I wanted to kiss her. I heard cooing from behind me. Shreya and Griffin were watching us. "We can't have you gettin' hurt durin' your first gala," I smiled, letting her legs down gently. She looked up at me, her hands slowly sliding from my shoulders down my chest. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Shreya wagging her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and refocused my attention to my date, kissing the back of her hand.

"Get it, Percy," Shreya cheered. Griffin's hand shot to his face, feeling embarrassed for me.

"Oh, look. It's Beckett. Let's go see what he's up to," I said stiffly, trying to get away from my flatmate. I took Aster's hand in mine and pulled her over to the fountain in the corner that Beckett had been standing next to for a _while_. Dean Goeffe was nearby, looking disapprovingly out at the whole soiree.

"Ah, Percy, there you are," he greeted when he saw us. "Aster," he nodded. "As you can see, everyone here is making wishes. It's a common enough practice."

"Oh, thank you for explainin'," I said sarcastically. "I didn't know what was goin' on because Tuneless people never do this sort of thing."

He glowered at me for a moment. "I'm aware of the Attuneless custom, but this goes a little further."

"Interestin'. Please, continue," I smirked.

He pulled a coin out of his pocket, presenting it to us before flipping it into the air. It landed at the base of the fountain with a small splash. As the coin sunk to the bottom, the water glowed. "It's said that the brighter the coin shines, the more likely your wish is to come true," his lip twitched with a smile, but not strong enough to actually pull into one. "Here, you try," he handed me another coin from his inner jacket pocket. It was a copper coin with a dragon's head on it.

"Have a lot of excess dosh handy, do you?" I chuckled. He shrugged, not denying it. We all knew his family was loaded.

I thought for a second about what I wanted to wish for. _Peace and quiet would be nice…_ I flipped the coin, sending it flying through the air to land in the water. Sadly, nothing happened. I actually thought I saw the coin get darker, as if it had tarnished instantly. _Oh, that's ominous… _"Maybe it didn't work?" I hoped, not wanting to admit that I was never going to be free of the weight Atlas and I were under.

Beckett's eyes were wide for a moment, which didn't ease my mind. "Well, I would take this with a grain of salt," he offered, trying to help. "This isn't an exact magic. No prophetic art ever is."

I pursed my lips. "Sorta sounds like the weather network…" I looked over at Aster, who was leaning over the fountain edge to look at the multitude of currencies that had been thrown in and now rested beneath the glass-like water we stood on. "Beck, hand over another coin."

"What is this, a shakedown? Why should I fund your experiment?" he raised his brows and straightened his tie.

"You're not gonna miss it," I pursed my lip and extended my hand. When he huffed, I jerked my head toward my date, being quite obvious in my gesture. He understood my point. Without a second thought, he handed me two more copper coins. I tapped Aster on the shoulder. "Wanna try?"

"Oh, yes," she beamed, taking the coin from me. She stood and closed her eyes, holding the coin close to her chest. After a moment, she tossed the coin into the fountain. The water flashed a bright, very bright white, causing her to grin wildly.

"What did you wish for?" I asked, curious about what would cause such an intense reaction.

She looked away for a moment. "It's a secret."

_I hope this date goes well_. I threw my coin in and the water flashed briefly, making me confused on whether that was a good or bad sign.

After a while longer, Aster was pulled off by Shreya for "girl talk" and I was left to wonder around by myself. I ended up standing against a wall with my hands in my pockets.

"Hey," my brother said, leaning against the same wall.

"Where have you been?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Around. I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for getting me this mask so I could come tonight," he said, staring out at the party. "It's nice, getting to feel normal like this." A smirk inched across his face. "It's fun beating the same fool at snaps over and over because he keeps forgetting he just lost to me."

I snickered. "Isn't the phrase 'With great power comes great responsibility'?" I quoted.

"Yeah, the responsibility to take advantage of the situation, obviously."

"You're an evil genius," I chuckled.

"You know it. But yeah, seriously, thank you, Percy. I'm starting to see why parties get their reputation," he narrowed his eyes at everyone. "They're… fun."

I laughed again. "I'm so glad you're liking it. If anyone deserves to have fun, it's you, bro."

"I know, right?" he almost laughed. "But anyway, enough with the sentimental stuff. I've still got two tiers of that fancy cake I haven't tried. I'll catch you later." I waved him a quick goodbye and watched him disappear back into the crowd.

I looked around, not sure what I was looking for, but my eyes caught Aster's through the herd of dancing bodies on the floor. She smiled and beckoned me to join her. When I made it to her, she was swaying to the music freely.

"You look like you're havin' a good time," I grinned. "How are you likin' everythin' thus far?"

"It's delightful!" she beamed. Her eyes quickly shot down to our feet and she crouched down to pick up one of the lilies drifting through the water below us. "Oh, hi there, little one." When she stood back up, she smiled happily, and my heart skipped. "I've never seen such marvels as I've seen tonight, and the night's only just begun!"

"C'mon. I'm quite certain just bein' a wood nymph means you get to see the most incredible things all the time," I said. "I mean, you're literally magical."

"Percy, everyone is, in their own way," she looked up at me, her smile fading a bit. "What may seem incredible to you is just… normal to me. And until you came into my life, I never thought I'd get to attend an Amorelia Day Gala for the Attuned." She took my hands in hers, her eyes sparkling up at me. "All of this, it's my dream come true, so thank you, Percy. Not just for bringing me here, but for letting me be part of your life."

I felt flustered. I wasn't sure what to say to that. The only thing that managed to slip out was, "I can't wait for the day you come to study at Penderghast."

"I, too, cannot wait," she beamed. "I want to study Attuned magic, and do the 'hanging out' with friends, and attend class with you…," she trailed off, a blush crossing her cheeks. "I'd especially love it if we could be together more often."

I was about to lean down to kiss her, but something tapped the top of my head. I looked up, not knowing what I was expecting to have touched me, and was shocked to see it starting to rain lightly on the dancefloor. The music faded from the upbeat bass loving tune to a slow, sweet song. "Care to dance?" I asked, grinning down at her.

"I would be honoured," she beamed.

I took a step back, taking her hand in mine, and led her out to the centre of the floor. I put one hand in the small of her back and intertwined our fingers with the other. We fit perfectly together, for being two different heights, and species, really.

"I'm reminded of the summer rains back in my home forest," she said, looking up as the drops lightly hit her face. "We often danced to celebrate."

"Like what you showed us earlier?" I asked, leading her in a slow, turning sway.

She smiled. "Yes. We have many, many dances, for almost every occasion."

"You'll have to show me a few more in the future."

"As long as you promise to dance with me, of course," she beamed.

I lifted my hand to twirl her and she spun effortlessly, looking graceful and well versed as she spun back into my arms. "If dancin' with you is this fun every time, I can't refuse that offer." Her eyes sparkled as she stared up at me. A drop of rain fell on her cheek beneath her eye. I wiped it with my thumb, lingering to touch her face just a little bit longer. "Aster… Can I…"

"Yes," she said softly before I could even finish. I leant down to kiss her lips. Her hands slid to my chest, making me feel warm. When I pulled away, she let out a longing sigh. "Percy…" She stood on her toes and pulled my blazer collar. Our lips met again, and my hand did its own thing, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear before caressing the back of her neck. "I hope with all my being that there is more _together_ for us in the future," she whispered.

"I do, too," I replied, just as captivated.

"Get a room!" Zeph and Griffin were off to the side of the dance floor smirking at us.

We both blushed. "Percy, would you mind if we left the gala for a little while?" she asked, a pleading look in her eye. "Just the _two_ of us?"

"Aster, are you sayin' we should be _alone_ together?" I teased, knowing her family was just as traditional as older English families were.

"Well, I think spending extra time with you away from all the… noise," she glanced over at the boys, "would make tonight even more delightful than it already has been. I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm not used to being somewhere with so many people." She took my hand, looking around nervously before smiling slyly back up at me. "Though, to be perfectly honest, I do want you all to myself right now."

"I can't very well turn that down, can I?" I blushed, holding her hand and pulling her backwards through the crowd until we were close enough to the doors for me to pull her behind me.

"This feels like a little adventure, doesn't it?" she giggled.

"Yeah, now that you mention it," I grinned like a kid. When I got her out into the hallway, she heaved a heavy sigh. "Feelin' a bit better now?"

She nodded. "Infinitely so. It's just, I've never been to a massive gala like this. Everything is so exciting, and so different. I'm not sure I fit in here," she frowned. "I must seem like a root out of soil."

"I definitely wouldn't phrase it that way," I chuckled. "Aster," I took her hand again, "you fit in perfectly. Everyone is different here, so by bein' your wonderful self, you fit right in."

She giggled. "Well, when you put it like that, I do feel better about it all."

"Great. That's the spirit."

"Being a wood nymph, especially around the Attuned, can feel so conspicuous sometimes, but I'm glad you're here to give me the courage to just be myself," she beamed.

"Don't mention it. If you ever need some moral support, just ask."

"I most certainly will," she lifted my hands to her lips and kissed my knuckles. I flushed immediately. "That's just my way of saying thanks," she giggled. "The more time I spend with you, the more I feel like I can do anything in the world."

I turned my hands over to hold hers. "Just a year ago, I didn't even know wood nymphs existed, but now I can't imagine my life without you."

"I can't either," she smiled sweetly. I leant my forehead into hers, feeling the world's warmth for once. "Percy, I want…"

"I know," I chuckled, leaning the rest of the way to her lips. She giggled through the kiss. "What's so funny?" I couldn't keep my own smile off my face.

"Nothing. I'm just… so happy," she bit her lip lightly.

"I am, too."

When she kissed me again, she pushed me back to the wall, her hands cupping either side of my neck. I was surprised, but I went with it, enjoying it too much to say anything about it. I could feel the leaves of her vines brushing my cheeks and shoulder. When I wrapped my arms around her torso, I felt them begin to wrap around my hands. I broke away just enough to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck. She giggled and her skin began to glow a warm, earthy green. A sweet scent filled me with a desire to steal her away and take her back to my room. I'd had raging hormones before, I was a teenager once, after all, but this was ridiculous. I opened my eyes just long enough to see the flowers in her hair shining a bright gold. One of her hands slid to my chest and gripped my shirt tightly. I pulled back to kiss her lips again, more heated than the last several times. We were so wrapped up in ourselves, literally, that we didn't notice anything around us. When a metal clank rang through the corridor, Aster flinched, clinging tightly to me.

"Did you hear that?" she looked around nervously and her vines retracted, her flowers closing up into buds.

"I think it's one of the sentries on patrol," I said, kissing her forehead.

"I… I see." She looked up at me, still a bit anxious. "All I can think about is you, Percy. It's no wonder I didn't notice these 'sentries' nearby…"

I chuckled. "It's nice to know that I'm that distractin'."

"Incredibly so," she giggled, her flowers blooming pink again.

"Should we get back to the party?" I asked, seeing that she'd lost the vibe a bit.

She nodded slowly, seemingly disappointed. I knew how she felt. I took her hand and led her back into the great hall.

"Psst! Percy! Over here!" Zeph whispered loudly from the nearest corner, waving at us from behind a tapestry.

"Zeph, why in the world are you hidin'?" I asked, concerned for his state of mind.

He motioned for us to join him and the rest of the crew, but he was the only one hiding. "Stealth is key to this operation, my friend. We're going to pull off an incredible prank!" he raved, still whispering.

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Shreya huffed, clearly having better things she could be doing.

"We're going to bring out a little extra magic and fun to this shindig!" he grinned, reaching in his pocket to pull out a translucent bar of… I have no idea…

"Is that… soap?" I asked.

He nodded. "Not just any soap, my friend. It's Lady Macbeth's Patented Sudsmaster!" he beamed proudly. "When this hits water, it's gonna bubble like nobody's business, and… well, you'll see."

"That's not ominous at all," Griffin furrowed his brow and looked around to see if anyone was watching us.

"Nah, I like where you're going with this, Zeph," Atlas smirked. "Tell us more."

Zeph fist bumped him before continuing. "Beckett's at his station keeping an eye on everything. He said he was down for, and I quote, 'a minor case of shenanigans', but for this to work, I'm gonna need you to help distract the other students and professors, Perc."

I slicked the sides of my hair back. "This sounds like a job for Bond. Percy Bond," I joked.

Zeph nodded approvingly. "I think Motley Crew is more than up for the task. So, how about it? Is everyone in?" he looked around.

Aster bounced cheerfully. "Yes! I can't believe I get to experience my very first Attuned prank!"

"Alright, let's get down to business," he gestured for us all to circle closer to him. "Griffin and I will sneak the soap into the fountain," he whispered urgently. "Aster, can you keep tabs on the professors?"

"Of course!" she agreed. "I'll do my best."

"And Percy… Atlas will signal to you when it's time to cause some chaos and distract the professors."

Atlas nodded. "Sure. You know, I could cause some chaos myself. A couple well-placed punches and-"

"Atlas!" I scolded.

"Uh, that's okay… Just stick to the signalling," Zeph looked like he might need to reconsider his plan. "Percy can handle the distraction." He shook himself back into his position of authority. "Shreya, you'll help run interference with Percy."

"Of course," she smirked. "We are the dream team." We high-fived without even looking.

Zeph clapped his hands together. "Okay, team. I know Beckett promised not to snitch on us, so get to your stations before he changes his mind! Go, go!"

I kissed Aster on the temple before we split up to our stations to execute the plan. I stayed just on the outside of the crowd, watching Atlas for the signal. When he finally looked at me, he made the strangest hand gesture and cawed like a crow.

"Um, was that supposed to be the signal?" Shreya scoffed.

I laughed. "It has to be. Let's do this." I climbed onto a nearby chair and cupped my hands to my mouth to project the sound. "Oi, listen up, everyone!" Most of the heads in the room looked my direction, but some didn't care. I had to think of something good. _Got it._ "Check out this magic trick!" I shouted. A few new heads turned. "First," I straightened up, "I'll need a volunteer! You there, the bookish lad in the front! Come on up!" I pointed directly at Beckett. He was the perfect person to drag into this. It would keep him from spilling the beans as well as being fantastically hilarious. He joined me reluctantly.

"I told Zeph I wouldn't play a big role in his shenanigans!" he whispered to me.

"Just go with it," I whispered back. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to give me your tie pin, Mister…," I held out my hand, trying not to smile too much and give myself away.

"Harrington. Beckett Harrington, as you well know," he was not amused, but he did as he was told.

I held it up for everyone to see, getting more heads than I had initially. "Watch as I make this object _disappear_!" I waved my hands swiftly, leaving both of them empty. "Voila! Behold, Tuneless magic!" The crowd applauded, impressed, but Beckett had seen me throw his pin behind me toward the wall and was not as ecstatic. "How did I do it, you ask?" I looked around and winked. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

I stepped off of the chair when Atlas gave me the "all clear". Beckett rolled his eyes. "Attuned always go crazy for Tuneless 'magic tricks' and sleight of hand. I never understood the fascination with them, myself," he grumbled, picking up the pin from where it had skidded to.

"The point is, it worked," I smirked.

"Percy! Professor Kontos is headed straight for Zeph!" Aster ran over to us, a panic in her eyes. She was taking this way too seriously.

"Thanks for the heads up," I smiled. "You stay here and keep track of this git," I pointed to Beckett, "while Shreya and I distract Kontos." She nodded and Shreya and I raced over to the professor, blocking his path. "Professor!"

"Oh, hello," he greeted happily. "Enjoying the gala?"

"Yes, it's wonderful," Shreya blurted out. "Do you have a second? We have an absolutely _burning_ question for you."

He nodded in his scholarly way. "Of course, ask away."

"It's, uh…," she looked over at me, out of ideas.

On the spot, I said the first thing that came to mind. "We wanted to know when you started DJ-ing."

He beamed. "A few years back. I started it as a hobby to better connect with my students, and of course, music has always been my forte. Are you enjoying my musical stylings?"

"Certainly," I grinned, my heart still racing. "I didn't expect it from you, though, honestly."

"Always expect what is most unexpected, Percy," he said. "If I've taught you anything this semester, remember that." Then he smiled suddenly. "Or don't. Surprises are part of the spice of life." He looked up suddenly as a rainbow bubble sailed through his horns. "What is going on?" The students all began to murmur about the new phenomenon.

"Oh, they actually pulled it off," I mumbled. "I mean, er," I stuttered when I saw Kontos peering at me suspiciously. "Wow, this is _so_ random! Who would ever dream of prankin' the school gala?" I poorly covered up, grabbing Shreya's wrist and bolting before he could ask us anything.

"Percy! Check it out!" Griffin waved us over to the rest of the group, popping a bubble near his nose. It let out a loud set of melodic notes.

"So that's what it does," I chuckled. I extended my finger to poke at a tiny glitter filled bubble. When it popped, it let out a high-pitched squeak.

"Awe, it sounds just like a mouse chuckling!" Aster giggled.

Atlas was evading most of the bubbles, but became fixated on a smaller bubble, poking at it, then recoiling form the loud ringing. "Weird… but cool," he smirked. One after another, he began popping various bubbles. He looked like a cat chasing a laser light, focused and serious, but looking rather dim. It wasn't long before the hall was filled with what sounded like multiple orchestras playing over each other.

"I never thought I'd get to experience something like this," Aster beamed. "Pranks are the best!"

"Hey, Beckett, go long!" Griffin shouted.

"Why would I ever 'go long'-," he tried to object, but before he could finish, Griffin took a deep breath and blew a bubble straight into his face. It popped on his cheek and set off a gong-like sound.

Griffin exploded into a fit of laughs. "You should see your face!"

"You… You knave!" Beckett was furious.

Out of thin air, Orien appeared. I suppose he'd sensed how much fun we were having and wanted to join. He ran across the room popping bubbles with his horns, paws, and nose.

I laughed. "You couldn't resist, could you?" He cocked his head at me and stuck out his tongue happily.

"Oh, what a cute little boy!" Aster knelt down to him and began to rub behind his ears. "I bet he and my hootlings would get along famously." He rubbed against her and shook his fur.

Zeph finally joined the group, the biggest smile gracing his face. "We did it! This is an Amorelia Day for the record books."

"It is," I laughed, watching my friends playing around like they didn't have a care in the world. Behind them, I noticed Professor Swan duck into the party and keep to the walls. I gestured toward her and said, "I'd better go talk to her…," but I wasn't sure if anyone was listening, which was fine. They were all having fun and I didn't want to ruin that with what might be less than glorious news.

Swan gave me a tense smile as I approached her. "Perseus, it's good to see that you're all in one piece, at least for the time being."

"That sounds rather ominous for such an occasion," I furrowed my brows worryingly.

She put her hand on my arm. "Rest assured that I'm trying my best to find out who was behind the missing wards in the Hall of Mirrors," she frowned. "I just don't understand how it could have happened."

I bit my cheek, not sure how to break the news to her. "About that," I started. "We found out that Beckett was the one who took down the wards."

"What? How? If he's a threat-," she huffed protectively.

I shook my head and held my hands up in defence of my mate. "No, no. It's not like that at all! He took down the wards so he could practice more advanced magics, that's all. He was just tryin' to get better to protect me."

She froze for a moment, finally realising what I'd said. "You're saying _Beckett Harrington_ dismantled the wards?"

I nodded. "Honestly, he didn't mean to. He didn't know what risk it would pose. It was a mistake, but at least there was no permanent harm done."

She sighed. "Yes, it's all in the past now, but… Beckett, as bright as he is, shouldn't have been able to remove the wards at all. Only _faculty_ have the skills required…"

"Percy!" Shreya nearly pounced on me, panting when she reached me. "Sorry to interrupt, Professor, but I need Percy for something. It's incredibly urgent!" Without waiting for a response, she snagged my arm and dragged me back through the crowd to a secluded section of the great hall. "Have you seen Zeph?" she asked, a bit panicky.

I shook my head. "No, I thought he went to get drinks. Is he not there?"

She frowned. "That was, like, half an hour ago. It could be nothing, but it's been a little too long, and none of us can find him," she sped through her sentences, only catching her breath at the end. "Considering all that's happened…" I frowned and looked around to find the rest of the group. We met back up with Griffin, Beckett, and Aster, but my brother and Zeph were nowhere to be seen.

"You haven't seen Zeph either?" Griffin bit his lip nervously.

"Perhaps he's just stepped outside for some air," Beckett suggested, subtly rocking from one foot to another. "Or he could have eaten too much cake and is now sick in the lavatory right now."

Aster shook her head. "No, he must be somewhere in the building. I branched and the trees haven't seen him outside."

I took a deep breath, evaluating the situation. "I'm sure everythin's fine, but we should check everywhere anyway." They all agreed, and we headed for the door.

"I did a circuit of the gala," Atlas said, appearing beside me suddenly, adjusting his mask. "Zephyr isn't anywhere in here."

As we stepped out into the corridor, I looked all three possible directions, trying to figure out the best way to go first.

"No…," Aster gasped, her hands to her mouth.

"What is it?" I asked, putting a hand on her back, but I had a similar reaction when I saw what she was looking at. Drops of blood trailed along the floor in front of us, leading to a thicker puddle.

Atlas crouched beside it and pulled up something small, round, and covered in crimson. He looked up at me with worry in his eyes and wiped at the beads to reveal the 'Pend Pals' lettering.

"Oh no…," I felt my stomach sink.

"That's-," Shreya gasped.

"Zeph's bracelet," Atlas took a deep breath. "Which makes this his blood. He must have left the bracelet so we could track him."

Shreya's fear turned to anger in an instant, the fire burning bright within her. "When I find out who hurt him, I'll…," she cracked her knuckles, sending licks of flame up her forearms.

"We have to find him, no matter what," Griffin let out a shaky breath before focusing himself on saving his best friend.

"And we must hurry," Beckett knelt down by Atlas to observe the pool. "Judging by the colouring of this blood, we can't afford to waste a second."

I extended my hand to my brother. "Gimmie the bracelet. I'm gonna use the locator spell to find him." When I had it in my hand, it didn't take long at all to get it working. _C'mon, Zeph. Where are you?_ The strings began to pull in various directions until it settled on one. I closed my hand around it and let it lead me down the hallway. "This way! Let's go!" We ran through the main building, winding around corners until we reached the Hall of Mirrors. The door was cracked and slightly damaged, and there were a few drops of blood on the carpet leading into it. Atlas and I charged through the door just in time to see Zeph being pulled into a mirror by… Dean Goeffe.

"Percy! Don't!" he shouted, struggling and failing to get out of her grip.

She scowled. "Be quite." She waved her hand over his head and he lost the ability to speak, his mouth moving endlessly, trying to tell us something. Blood ran down his cheek from his forehead.

"Zeph! We'll get you out of this, I promise!" I started forward, but Zeph shook his head relentlessly, as if trying to warn me of something.

"Not another step!" the dean shouted, putting her hand up and making the floor beneath us quake, sending us toppling down like bowling pins. My friends ran in behind us, surrounding us protectively.

"We have to end this before anyone else gets hurt," Griffin said, enraged by Zeph's current appearance.

"Oh, but I'd _really_ like to hurt the dean right about now," Shreya hissed, fire flaring from her fingertips.

Beckett stared in shock for a moment as Atlas helped me to my feet. "Dean Goeffe, you're the _dean_! What on earth would induce you to harm a student?" he looked outraged and angry and confused.

Aster huffed furiously. "If a nymph elder harmed a sapling like this… they'd… they'd be permanently uprooted from the forest!"

The dean's cold eyes met her star pupil. "Believe me, Mr. Harrington, I don't enjoy this. I had hoped that weakening the mirror wards enough for you to take them down would settle things without me getting my hands dirty, but-"

"That was _you_?!" he sounded downright angry. "You're the one who made it possible for me to put Percy and my friends in so much danger?!"

"We're all a part of this, now," she said coldly.

I let out a laugh of disbelief. "You're workin' for Raife."

Something in her eyes changed. She became darker, colder, more cruel. She tightened her grip around Zeph's neck. "This is a necessary evil," was all she said before she threw Zeph through a mirror and hopped in after him.

"No!" I lunged toward the mirror, but Atlas held me back. "Get off me!" I struggled, but he wrapped his arms around mine to keep me from going after them alone.

Author's note:

Thanks for hanging out ths far. I really appreciate the patience of my readers, especially since I've spent SOOOO long working/reworking this story.

I should have chapter 20 uploaded in the next few days, so stay tuned.

TY

LZM


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: The Dread

"Wait!" my brother shouted, his arms bound tightly around me.

"We don't 'ave time!" I argued. "We need to get Zeph back before he gets 'urt!" I managed to get one arm free, but he still held my torso, keeping me from moving any closer to the mirror.

"Just _think_ for a moment!" he pulled me back with a forceful heave and spun around, throwing me onto the floor with him now between me and the mirror. "If you run in there now, you're going to get yourself killed!" his lip curled in anger, but his eyes were filled with worry.

I scrambled to face him, one knee still on the ground. "I don't care if I die!"

Atlas' scowl only grew, his eyes angry now as well. "Then do you care if they do?" he pointed at Shreya, Beckett, Griffin, and Aster, who were all just as ready to pounce in after Zeph. I froze. I didn't want any of my friends getting hurt. "We need a plan, or no-one is getting out of this alive," he barked. "And what use are you to Zeph if you're dead, huh?"

I lowered my head, still on my knee. "I don't expect any of you to come with me."

"So you expect us to let you go alone?" Shreya scoffed.

"You're going to need help to take down Raife," Beckett said, a cool, calculating head still on his shoulders.

"And we're happy to be the ones to provide it," Aster offered me a sweet, but saddened smile.

"Zeph is _our _friend, too," Griffin stepped forward. "We're coming with you whether you like it or not."

I pulled myself to my feet with a huff. "It's too dangerous! This… Everythin' that's 'appened is _my _fault. Raife will kill _all_ of you if you get in 'is way. I can't let that 'appen." The anxiety, anger, and guilt balled in my throat, making it harder to speak.

"I believe it's a bit late for that sentiment, considering he's already taken Zeph," Beckett informed me.

"Besides, we aren't just going to sit on the sidelines while you're out there risking your life!" Shreya glared at me caringly.

Beckett nodded in agreement. "I promised to make up for my mistakes by protecting you. I intend to honour that."

I sighed, clearing my head a bit. "Thank you, Beckett, but I already forgave you for that."

"Are you sure?" his levelheadedness faded rapidly.

"Of course. You did what you did to protect me and you're willin' to throw yourself into danger for your mates, so as far as I'm concerned, you've already proven yourself," I took another deep breath.

"Thank you…," he hung his head.

"But we don't have time for this," I added, looking to my brother. "What's your plan?"

He nodded. "Right. Everyone split up and get ready as quickly as you can. We don't want to rush in, but we can't afford to stall either."

Aster took a timid step forward. "If it helps, I could try to branch. If there're any trees nearby, I'll be able to see if he's okay," she started, but before we could answer her, she began to slip. "Just give me a… moment…" her eyes clouded over and her body became exceedingly still.

Atlas cocked his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that normal?"

I shrugged. "It's a bit unsettlin', but just go with it," I reassured him. He gave me a side glance but shook the weird factor out of his mind.

"Darkness grows," Aster's monotone voice cut through the still air. "Death, destruction, terror. The world stands on the edge of a precipice," her bow creased as her body began to tremble.

"That's not normal," I said quickly, hurrying to her side.

"Someone else is here! Who… Who are you?" her normal tone returned, but she was still stuck in her branching. "Stay away from me!" her breathing became heavy, her eyes still unseeing, and her body shook harder.

I wrapped my arm around her, but as soon as my skin touched hers, I was shocked by something. It felt like a zap of electricity, but the after effect caused my bones to shake for a moment. It was horrifyingly dark. "Aster, come back!"

Her body suddenly stopped shaking, but a wicked sneer crossed her face, her eyes looking sharper and harsher than her usual joyous self. "Maybe it's time you were taught… what happens to spies," her voice was low and grainy.

"That's not good," my brow furrowed with worry as I tried to figure out how to get her back.

Aster's head shook violently, the flowers in her hair wilting, some even falling to the ground. Her body rocked back and forth as if she were being bowled over by a heavy wave. "Get out of my head!" she screamed. A soon as the last word left her mouth, she gave one last violent shake before collapsing at the knee.

I caught her in my arms and laid her down gently on the floor, her head in my lap. She was deathly still. "Aster? Are you alright?" I asked, brushing the hair out of her face. "Aster?" I asked again when I didn't get a response.

Her body shook slowly a few more times, her breathing shallow and laboured. Her eyes opened weakly and turned to me. "There… was… some kind of… dark presence… in my mind. They were… trying to hurt me… I…," she shuttered again, her eyes slamming shut with pain.

"It must have been Raife," Atlas hissed.

Aster took a few more slow, shaky breaths before speaking again, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I did manage… to see where they were… They're in a lab… The dean and that evil looking man. Zeph… was tied up in the corner."

"Was Zeph okay? What were they doing to him?" Shreya took a step forward anxiously.

Aster shook her head slowly. "I don't think they were doing anything. They had him bound in chains… with glowing runes on them. He looked very scared… and his face was bleeding… but I didn't see any new injuries."

The room let out a relieved sigh. "At least we know he's safe for now," Atlas offered. "Everyone, get changed into more reasonable clothes and grab whatever supplies you need," he ordered.

"Should we tell someone where we're going? Like a professor?" Griffin asked nervously.

Atlas shook his head. "No. If Dean Goeffe is working with Raife, we don't know who else was. Besides, they'll just try to stop us."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right. We've got to do this on our own." As I spoke, Aster weakly grabbed my arm, trying to get herself up. "Don't move yet. You're hurt." She didn't listen and continued trying to pull herself up, so I helped her to her feet. When she tried to stand on her own, she fell back toward me. I wrapped her in my arms and let her lean on me. "Promise me you won't do somethin' like this again."

She shook her head. "I have to get ready. We need to-"

"You're not going," Atlas said before I could. "You're in no condition to fight right now. You should stay here."

"But I want to help!" she argued, still fighting to hold herself up.

"You'll help us more by staying here," he said, looking at me. I agreed with a brief nod. "If you come, you'll only be a burden."

Her face fell, her shoulders hunching helplessly. I knew his words hurt her, but it was the only way to keep her safe. She buried her face in my chest, clinging to my jacket as another shudder caused her to lean more of her weight on me.

"I'm sorry, Aster, but he's right," I tried to tell her, running a hand gently through her hair.

"No," she shook her head stubbornly. "There must be more I can do. Maybe I could… or I…"

"No," I said harshly. "After what just happened, I need you to rest. I don't want you hurtin' yourself any more than you have." She was about to object, but her knees were about to fall out from underneath her again. "You've already done enough. Just rest and recover. You can't help anyone if you don't take care of yourself first."

Her eyes closed, exhausted. "You're right… I don't want to cause you all any more problems," she sighed, the leaves on her arms drooping. "I was so excited about tonight, getting to spend more time with you, and to really see Penderghast…"

"It didn't really go as planned, did it?" I gave her a sympathetic look and brushed her hair with my fingers. She looked utterly done in. "Here, let's sit you down so you can relax." I led her over to a chair in the corner of the room and set her down lightly until she could lean her head against the wall. When she was comfortable, I walked over to my brother.

"You know, this might be your last chance to see your friends or say goodbye," he whispered softly.

"Do you really think it will come to that?" I asked, worry setting in.

He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. Whatever Raife has planned… there's a good chance some of us might not make it back," he frowned. "I have to make some preparations, but you should go. Be together while you still can."

I looked back at Aster, slouching weakly in the chair. "I'm gonna take Aster back to the room to lie down. She needs to rest." He nodded before leaving to go make his arrangements. I walked back to Aster and kneeled down in front of her. "Aster, I'm gonna take you back to the dorm so you can rest, alright?"

She smiled weakly down at me. "I'd love to see your room, Percy," she said, barely above a whisper. When she tried to stand, she nearly fell again, so I picked her up in both arms, her arms around my neck, and carried her out to the corridor.

When we got to the common room, I had to set her down to open the door. "I was hopin' to carry you to my room under different circumstances, but…" I walked her over to my bed and let her fall down into the blankets.

She sank into the bed, burying her face in my pillow. "This bed is so comfortable," she mumbled. "I can't believe you get to live in someplace so wonderful!"

I smiled and kneeled down next to her. "With any luck, you'll have you very own dorm room next year," I smiled, hoping to make her feel better, but the excitement on her face faded.

"Let's hope that there will be a next year for everyone…" She paused for a moment then sat up. "When Raife was in my mind, I could feel how cruel and evil he was. I'm scared something terrible is going to happen to you. To all of our friends."

I took her hand in mine, brushing my thumb over her knuckles. "I'm scared as well. Raife's been huntin' us, Atlas and I, since we were born. I was safe until I got to Penderghast, and he's nearly gotten me at every turn."

"But your light is so strong," she looked troublingly down at me.

I sighed. "Not strong enough."

"But you're still going to face him, even though he could win…"

"I don't have a choice," I caught her eye. "Raife has Zeph, and we have to get him back," I said firmly. There was no backing out.

She gave me a frail smile, the flowers still left in her hair blooming again, though their glow was soft. "That's why you're so amazing. I just…," her face fell. "I wish I could have been more help. I feel so useless."

I shook my head. "Thanks to you, we know that Zeph is still alive and that we have a chance to save him," I looked down at her hand again, giving it a light kiss. "Besides, I'd rather have you stay here, out of harm's way. I couldn't bear the thought of anythin' hurtin' you. Anythin' that happens if you go would be my fault, and I couldn't live with that."

"How could it be your fault?" she cupped my cheek.

"All of this is my fault. If I'd never come to this school, if I'd never… all of you would be safe. Raife would never even know that you existed," I frowned. "If you'd never met me, you wouldn't've been hurt by your branchin', by Raife."

"Maybe not, but my life wouldn't be nearly as happy without you in it," she smiled, a faint blush gracing her cheeks. "I care about you, Percy. Sometimes so much that it's all I can think about. I'll always be here, for better or for worse." Her leaves perked up as she looked around the room, trying to change the subject. "So, this is what a dorm room is like."

I smiled, appreciating everything about her. "Yeah. Just a bed, desk, and wardrobe. It's not much, but it's home."

"I think I'd like my dorm room to have a few more plants, and I'd need to find some place for Sir Gladion, Rosie, and Simon to roost," she smiled wistfully. "I know I will love it here, though."

"I'm certain you will," I sat on the bed next to her. "Do you know what you'll study if you get in?"

"Well, presumably, I'd be working closely with Professor Kontos, since he specialises in natural magics, but I'd really like to find out if it's possible for a wood nymph to do Attuned magic," she beamed, looking just a bit less tired. "I've never heard of it working, but I want to try."

I chuckled. "When we tried at your shop, it didn't exactly work as expected."

She shrugged. "Maybe not, but that's exactly why I want to keep trying."

I looked over my room, my eyes lingering on the closet. I needed to get ready. I wanted so much to stay with her in the moment and just be, but I had to leave… and I might never see her again…

"What is it, Percy?" she asked, noticing my hesitation.

"I just… I can't stop thinkin' about tonight. What Raife has planned, if we can actually beat him," I thought aloud.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head against my shoulder.

"One last kiss before I go?" I smirked, not really achieving the confidence I'd have liked to.

"Anything for you," she giggled. I leant down to her, our lips meeting somewhere in the middle. Her lips were soft. They were always soft, but the fact drifted through my mind.

When we pulled apart, I rested my forehead against hers. The room was lit with a soft glow emanating from her flowers. "I don't know how you do it, but when I'm with you, the world disappears."

She cupped both of her hand on my cheeks and peppered my face with gentle kisses. "Feeling better?" she asked with a smile.

I let out a soft chuckle. "Quite."

We stared at each other in the moment for a while longer, but then she let out a saddened sigh. "You should probably be getting back."

I nodded sombrely. "Yeah." I gave her one more quick kiss before standing to get my things. I grabbed some clothes to change into out in the common room and anything else I thought I might need in my pockets. Before I left, I leant over her to give a lingering kiss to her forehead, taking in her scent and the texture of her hair, the look in her eyes, and the softness of her skin. As I turned to leave, she grabbed at the back of my jacket.

When I spun around, she said, "I just wanted to tell you that you've made this last year really special to me. From the moment you first walked into my shop, I've felt this warmth inside of me, and it only grows every time I see you."

"I feel the same when I'm with you," I smiled wearily.

"You mean so much to me, Percy," her eyes began to gloss over. "Promise me something. Promise me that we'll go out somewhere special when you get back. Just the two of us."

I trailed my thumb under her eye as a tear began to sneak out. "I'd love that. It's a date."

She gave me a wide smile, her skin glowing softly. "Good. Now you _have_ to come back safely."

I smiled again and kissed her cheek before helping her lie down again. "You rest now. You'll need to be at your best for our date." She grinned as her eyes began to shut. She looked so peaceful. I nodded to myself, ready to leave, but as I reached for the door handle, I spun around quickly to snag the shadow sword from under my desk.

I got dressed out in the common room, taking the leaves from my head and letting my hair fall back into its usual pale curls. I donned my enchanted clothes and attached the sword to my hip just as Shreya came out of her room in more agile attire. Honestly, it was the first time I'd ever seen her in trainers. Shortly after, the rest of the group joined us, ready to go. "Right, we're all here," I looked around at their faces, some ready and firm, others nervous but dedicated. "Now what?"

"We should discuss what we know about Raife Highmore," Beckett began. "We need to figure out what is weakness is. We know he's a Blood-Att, so he must have a high potential."

"He can create shadow monsters and give them orders," Shreya added.

"He's conceited and power hungry," Atlas spat.

"He's after you two specifically," Griffin said.

I nodded, thinking of everything I'd learnt while being on edge about the whole subject. "He's interested in old Attuned lore, like refractionary magic and things, and he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants." I sighed, releasing my nerves. "Which is why we need to stay on our guard. This is a monster who murders children. He won't hesitate to hurt or kill any of us."

Atlas nodded. "Percy's right. If you slip up for a second, that's it. I should warn you all. You've never faced anything like Raife in your lives. He's cruel and destructive, and you'll be lucky if your magic even leaves so much as a scratch on him."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, bro," I patted his shoulder sarcastically.

"So, what's our general strategy here?" Beckett asked. "We do have _some_ kind of strategy, right?"

"We rush in and kick his ass," Shreya scowled.

"And that's how we'll all die," Atlas countered. Shreya huffed and crossed her arms.

"As much as I agree with Shreya," Griffin piped in, "we need a game plan. I, for one, don't want to die today."

"Raife is after the two of us," my brother's finger pointed between us. "Percy and I can probably keep him distracted."

"Which gives you all time to free Zeph and prepare a surprise attack against Raife," I added.

"After that, we need to hit him with everything we've got," Atlas leant on the back of the sofa like it was a wartime strategy table. "If we can overwhelm him, we may stand a chance."

I sighed. "I still feel like we don't have very much to go on, but I suppose we're out of time."

Atlas gave me a thoughtful look. "Raife's magic is strong. It wouldn't hurt to go in with some kind of advantages."

I touched the steel on my hip. "I have this sword, but… I'd have to get rather close for it to be of much use. And it's not effective for all of us unless we feel like passin' it around."

Atlas stood straight suddenly. "I remember seeing a mace somewhere when I was sneaking around," he put his finger up in thought.

"Oh!" Beckett gasped excitedly. "That would be Desmond Penderghast's famed Mace of Blasting. That would certainly even the odds against Raife!"

I pointed back at my brother with a snap. "It's in the dean's office," I recalled.

"Let's go check it out then," he said, seemingly overexcited to get his hands on that thing.

"What about the rest of you?" I asked, concerned for their safety. We needed backup plans. This mission had too many ways it could go wrong.

"I'm set," Shreya said, pulling an ornate dagger from behind her back. When we all stared at her with wide eyes, she shrugged. "What? My father gave it to me. He likes his girls protected."

I shook my head, shaking the shock away and refocusing. "Beckett, is there anything in the armoury either of you could use?"

"Perhaps," he nodded.

"Great. Then Atlas and I will go after the mace, and we'll meet the rest of you in the Hall of Mirrors," I said. Everyone nodded and we went our separate ways.

Atlas and I bolted to the main building, third floor, to get to the dean's office. The mace was mounted to the wall behind her desk. Atlas ran over to it, but hesitated before grabbing it.

"Well, give it a swing," I encouraged.

He took it off the wall, holding it in his hands, his eyes wide, as it began to glow a vibrant blue. He swung it toward Dean Goeffe's bookcase, sending out a massive shockwave and knocking most of the items off and tearing a gash into the wooden sideboard. Glass bulbs and bowls shattered instantly. He beamed as he looked back down at it like a fat kid in a sweet shop.

"Crikey, that thing is ridiculously powerful!" I laughed, almost feeling guilty for damaging the dean's property.

"I can't wait to smack Raife around with this!" he chuckled. He looked up at me, a sly grin on his face. "I should try it again, just to make sure I've got the hang of it."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. You just want to give the dean's desk a whack, don't you?"

He beamed again. "Well, she _does _deserve it." He swung it again, this time with the other hand, sending the wave ripping through her desk. The golden scales she'd had on the side flew into the air with force and crashed onto the floor, breaking the top of the main stem.

I laughed. "Is that sufficiently smashed enough for you?"

He nodded, tossing the mace from hand to hand. "Yeah. I don't think I have much more time for practice anyway." I grabbed the mace's harness from the wall and handed it to him. He slung it onto his back and slid the mace into its holster over his shoulder.

We ran back to the Hall of Mirrors just as Beckett and Griffin arrived with a shield and a crossbow. Beckett ran right over to Atlas when he saw the mace strapped to him. "You got it!"

"We did," he nodded briefly.

"And?" Beckett seemed just as interested in it as Atlas had been.

Atlas smirked. "Raife isn't gonna know what hit him."

"Come on, you guys," Shreya stuck her head out from the room into the hallway. "We don't have all day."

We all gathered around the mirror Zeph had been dragged through. I could feel the sweat beading up on the back of my neck. Atlas noticed, I supposed and put his hand on my shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked.

I nodded anxiously. "Yeah, I'm about to go back through an object that's been hauntin' my dreams and keepin' me from sleepin' for months so I can save a mate I let get kidnapped by an evil murderer who wants to kill my brother and me. I'm just fine."

"Don't think about that," he said, not really helping. "Why don't you review all the spells you know? Then you can think about how ready you are when we get there." It wasn't actually a bad idea.

I gave another nervous nod and let out a long breath. "Yeah, alright."

He patted my back. "See, you're totally prepared."

I pulled out the blood-stained bracelet from my pocket and re-activated the locator spell. If I didn't know where they were, there was no way to reopen the mirror. I closed my eyes and let the bracelet show me where they were. "Right. Found them." I placed my hand on the mirror, making the surface ripple. "Let's go get Zeph," I muttered before stepping into the mirror.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Dark and Full of Terrors

Mirror travel always made me dizzy. It blurred my vision and made me feel like I was about to hurl at any given moment. When my feel landed on the cold stone floor of Raife's lair, I threw my hands up to rub my eyes. It took a bit longer than I would have liked for my eyes to adjust. When they did sort themselves out, I looked around the dimly lit dungeon that was Raife Highmore's lab. It looked like we'd been teleported back into Victorian times and we'd stumbled into Victor Frankenstein's dingy laboratory. There were tables and storage racks lining the grey stone walls, each piled high with old books, beakers and flasks filled with multicoloured chemicals, and odd trinkets, like animal skulls and alchemic equipment. Near the back corner of the room, two bookcases, no higher than my chest, stuck out longways from the wall. Behind them, bound in chains, was sat one of my best mates. He was bruised up a bit, but he wasn't bleeding anymore, at the very least.

Once everyone was through the mirror, we knelt behind a solid desk nearby. There was no sign of the evil overlord from where we were. When I thought we were safe enough, I whispered over my shoulder, "Go help Zeph. Atlas and I will keep Raife busy." Griffin nodded and led Shreya and Beckett across the lab. I peeked over the desk, spotting the dean and Raife entering the lab from a long hallway at the other end of the room from Zeph. I ducked back down and took a deep breath, nodding to my brother. We got to our feet and walked boldly over to them. They were stood next to a large platform, suspended from the tall ceiling by heavy chains, with metal cuffs and leather straps bolted across the board.

Dean Goeffe spotted us first, whirling around to point us out to her boss. "There. I did your dirty work and brought you the twins," she hissed, pointing a harsh finger our way. "Now it's time for you to fulfil your end of the bargain."

I scoffed. "You're the _dean_ of an entire academy. How could you do somethin' like this? Work with a man like him?"

A shockingly sorrowful expression crossed her face. "My hands were tied. I wish it had happened differently."

Raife smirked, taking a step in our direction, his eyes glowing a ruby red in the torch light. "I hate to cut this reunion short, but," his voice was just as I'd remembered it during the championship game. It was deep, grainy, and grotesque. Just the tone sent unpleasant shivers down my spine. He put a bony hand on the dean's shoulder. As soon as he touched her, her body began to seize where it stood. She let out a shriek that curdled my blood before she slumped lifelessly onto the stone floor. Raife stepped over her body, his long crimson robes rolling her head towards us in stride. Her eyes were bloodshot and dull, blood streaming from her nose.

I couldn't even speak. The sight of her cold and stiff body bore into my brain. Atlas was braver than me. "You killed her!" he shouted. "Wasn't she your ally?"

Raife grinned cruelly. "She'd served her purpose, and I had to ensure she wouldn't interrupt us." His long legs allowed him to cover more ground than I would have liked. I took a nervous step back as he spoke again. "I knew you'd come for your friend… and now, I have you. Just like that," his sneer grew, showing his chipped and stained teeth. With a snap of his fingers, shadows began to move around us, at first just on the floor and wall, but slowly taking form into shadow beasts of all shapes and sizes.

I glanced behind me to check on my friends. They'd just managed to get Zeph unchained. _They're not ready yet._ I knew I had to keep him talking. "Raife, what you want with me and my brother, what does it have to do with refractionary energies?"

He cocked his head in a way that made him look inhuman. "Someone's been doing their homework," he grinned.

"It's just old Attuned lore. They're myths," I said, hoping he would decide to bad-guy monologue for even a moment.

"Myths have to originate from somewhere," he stopped his advance and looked us over appraisingly. "There's always a grain of truth within them," his grin turned maniacal, making another shiver run down my spine. "I've finally figured out how to access these energies!"

"Just what is your plan, anyway? If you intend to kill us, there's no reason for you _not_ to at least tell us why," I tried to reason. Atlas shot a look of bewilderment towards me. I gave him a side glance, my eyes darting behind us. He gave a subtle nod and turned back to Raife.

"I suppose not. Well, if you insist," he smirked. "I am going to use the two of you to become Attuned to _all_ elements."

"Th- That's not possible!" Atlas' borrows furrowed in fear. I'd never seen him scared of anything, but Raife made him shake.

Raife took another step forward. "That is the true power of refractionary energies, _boy_," he spat. "But unlocking that power proved difficult. I knew I needed twins, so I gathered as many as I could. I ran test after test…," I could see the anger in his eyes, the impatience. "Yet every pair of twins I used was a failure!" he hissed. "They were weak and died before the experiment was complete!" He took a deep breath and straightened himself up. "Finally, after all that trial and error, I realised I needed something _more._ Twins alone weren't enough, they needed to be special."

"And what makes you think we're those twins?" I asked, trying not to look to the sides of the room as my friends snuck along the walls.

"You and your brother represent the sun and moon," he smirked. "Light and reflection, the two components of refraction. And now I have nature on my side," he pointed towards a cut out in the roof above the mechanical table where a full moon was beginning to turn red. "The eclipse tonight will supercharge my machine and drag that power from you!"

When my mates were in position behind the madman, I shot Atlas a quick look and we both widened our footing defensively. "I'm not sure if I like that plan," I narrowed my eyes at Raife.

"I agree," Atlas said. "We've got a better plan."

Shreya snapped her fingers, sending a large metal chandelier crashing down from the ceiling onto Raife, slamming him into the ground.

"Nice one!" I stared, eyes wide, at my flatmate.

"You shall pay for that," came the low grumble of an angry old man. He wiped the blood from his forehead with the back of his hand before raising it out toward the room. On command, the shadows that had been lurking began to push forward, deadly screeches echoing around the lab. "Get them," he hissed.

Beckett, Shreya, Zeph, and Griffin all spun around to start attacking or defending, but were pushed back to the centre of the stone room.

"There's too many of them!" Zeph yelled. "How are we gonna take them all down?"

I clapped my hands together and scraped my foot against the ground, pulling wind around my body like a small cyclone. I pulled the sword from my belt and twisted it in my hand, ready to fight. Griffin's shoulder bumped into mine as a large rock formation threw one of the bigger shadows into the air. As it came back down, I swung the sword, cutting off its hand. It shrieked in pain and retreated momentarily, allowing me to slice at a smaller shadow reaching for my brother. Like an endless wave, another freakish shadow pushed me against one of the racks on the wall. I reached over my head, grabbing a glass beaker and throwing whatever was in it at the creature. Covered in a gooey green liquid, it hissed and dissolved into nothing. _What was in that?_ I stared down at the glass, but I didn't have time to contemplate. More monsters dove toward us in heaps. I sliced through some of the smaller ones, letting the sword absorb their energy.

With a loud snarl, a huge shadow, like the one I'd fought in the mirror realm, sliced at me with its large claw-like hand. I _just_ managed to duck. When it reared back to do it again, I clapped my hands over my head. "Solis!" My light shield extended upward right as its arm entered my personal space, cutting it clean off at the shoulder. I let out a long breath.

Shreya was throwing fireball after fireball, taking the smaller orb-like shadows down with impressive accuracy. "Burn, you little monsters!"

Zeph stood next to her, whipping a larger shadow with his water whip. "Stay away, stay away, stay away!" he panicked. At least he was good under pressure.

I noticed another beastly shadow watching their every move, calculating its attack. "Watch out!" I called to them, but they didn't hear me with all the mess going on. _Shite!_ I dropped to the ground with a downward slice of my hand. "Consume!" I shouted, forcing the ground apart under the shadow beast's feet. The large monster fell, dragging a few smaller shadows with it out of desperation before the crack resealed itself.

"Leave some for the rest of us," Griffin smirked, knocking another shadow around with spikes jutting up from the stone floor.

"There's plenty to go around," I patted him on the shoulder as I caught Raife's eye from across the madness.

Beckett threw one of the larger bookcases toward him, forging a straight path for me to run down. "Go, Percy!"

Atlas joined me, tapping me on the shoulder. "Let's get him!" Before we could get even halfway to Raife, the shadows surrounded us. We were alone in a circle of shadows. "I'll hold them still. You take them all out at once," he commanded, holding his palms together. They began to glow a shining white as he raised them above his head and slammed them down to the floor. "Sleep!" he shouted, sending an unreal echo through the room. All of the shadows dropped to the ground, the lights in their eyes going dark. "You're up," he looked up at me.

"Right," I muttered, closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I flung my palm up, supporting it by the wrist with my other hand. A warm beam of light shot from my hand like a laser into one of the shadows, vaporising it instantly. I spun around, dragging the beam over Atlas' head to get every one of them in the circle, leaving nothing but a trail of thin smoke.

"Nice!" he cheered.

"Teamwork makes the dream work," I extended my hand to help him up.

"That's a terrible saying. Never say that again," he shook his head before pointing his chin in Raife's direction. "There's just a few more monsters left."

"I've got this," I smirked, turning to face said monsters. I focused to pull in as much magic around me as I could before releasing it all with a thrust of my palm. The remaining shadows in our way evaporated, leaving the path to Raife unobstructed. "Shall we?" I shrugged at my brother.

With no more shadows left to screw with us, the six of us pulled together, ready to charge. Raife gave a malicious grin from the far side of the room. "We need to hit him with everything we've got," Atlas scowled. "His healing will make that difficult, but if you don't give him time to recover, it might be enough."

"Then we just keep attackin'," I narrowed my eyes at our target.

"Once you've worn him down, I've got something big planned," Atlas added, stepping back a few paces and muttering to himself, his eyes closing as his hands pressed firmly together in front of his chest. I nodded to my mates and led the charge.

"Let's see what you can do," Raife grinned, waving his hands. The air began to cluster around him, forming a full-sized tornado that was headed straight for us.

Shreya thought first, her hands glowing as she began to redirect the twister. Griffin and Beckett hid behind a few of Raife's larger contraptions as it passed by them. With a brief opening available, I dodged over to Zeph and tackled him behind a table. "I'll give you a boost. Freeze him," I said, channelling my magic into him.

He grinned widely, looking down at his hands. "Oh, yeah. He's going down." He stood quickly and twisted his hand, causing water to rise up from the ground, curling around Raife's legs before freezing solid. Beckett and Griffin began throwing spell after spell, slamming rocks and stones into his chest. Raife snarled and slammed his fist into the ice, shattering it almost instantly.

"That's not good," I muttered.

"You are beneath me!" he shouted angrily, sweeping his hand out at Zeph. A massive wind blasted him back through the air and into the ceiling before dropping him back onto the stone. I stared down at my mate's body, completely limp.

"Zeph!" I knelt over him, shaking him to see if he was even still alive.

"Raife! How dare you-," Atlas growled.

"Let us worry about him!" Shreya shouted at my brother.

"Just keep channelling that spell!" Beckett stood next to her defensively. Together, they rushed forward, Shreya melting down Raife's instruments, accidentally, I assumed, including Beckett's shield, and Beckett forming the superheated metal into a sphere.

Griffin sprinted over to me, hovering over Zeph with the same concern. "Please don't be…," he started choking up.

I looked back over my shoulder when I heard an angry growl. "Griffin!" I pulled him off of Zeph and pointed him towards Raife, who was aiming _something_ at Beckett and Shreya. "We've got to block his attack!" Griffin nodded, and we worked in unison to build a massive wall of earth and stone from the ground, blocking Raife from our friends.

"That should do it," Griffin sighed. A bright red glow came from beyond the wall, but the attack didn't make it through.

"It worked!" I let out a breath of my own, but it was short lived. A loud crack rang through the lab before the wall crumbled, its debris hovering over our heads. "I spoke too soon." Beckett threw the molten ball of metal at him, burning his robes and allowing Griffin and I enough time to get out from under the falling rocks.

"Out of my way!" Raife scowled. He waved his hand, causing a boulder to rise up from the ground, hurling at us.

"Watch out!" Atlas' voice rang through my head.

"Percy!" Griffin shouted, diving at me to push me out of the way. The boulder slammed into him, sending him soaring to the back wall of the lab. The sound of him hitting the wall… I'll never forget it. I swore I heard his bones crack. He was the second friend down.

"Griffin!" I cried, pissed that he'd sacrificed himself for me.

Shreya screamed. I'd never heard her so angry. "That's it! Let's roast this guy!" She grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet as she charged toward Raife. More boulders flew at us, but we managed to dodge most of them. One came straight for my face, and I knew I couldn't dodge it. I braced myself for impact, but it never came. The rock had shattered before me.

"Not today, you don't!" Beckett threw his arms around, forcing the broken boulder back toward Raife.

Shreya kept charging. I knew she was about to do something stupid, so I fuelled her with my magic, making the fireball in her hand much larger than it was. She spun in a quick circle, gaining momentum to toss the fireball. It hurled through the air, but it connected with an ice shield he'd suddenly conjured. She sent a second one immediately after that collided with the first, melting the shield enough to burn Raife's face and arm. He howled, turning the remains of his ice into a water whip, but much larger than Zeph's.

"Enough of this! I don't have all day!" he hissed, lashing the water at Shreya. It coiled around her, picking her up off the ground only to slam her back down into it.

"Shreya!" I screamed, agony filling my mind. _We're gonna lose._ Her body laid motionless on the stone, just like the others. "You'll pay for that," I growled, tears filling my eyes.

The water whipped toward me, but froze solid before it reached me, shattering into crystals. "We're nearly out of options, Percy. It's now or never!" Beckett shouted at me. I focused my magic into him, knowing I wasn't going to make a rational decision if I were in charge at that point. He raised his hand to the ceiling. "This ends now, Raife!" The chains hanging from the ceiling extended down as fast as a lightning strike and coiled around Raife's arm, crushing it with a loud crack.

"Atlas! We could really use you right about now!" I said, stepping back as Raife ripped the chains from his arm with one quick motion.

"Stop interfering!" Raife growled, sending the chains toward Beckett, but Beckett froze them in place with a curl of his fist. They broke out into a tug-of-war over the chains, seeming evenly matched for a moment.

"Hold on, Beck!" I wiped at my face with the back of my hand and tried to focus myself for a counterattack, but before I could send anything at him, Raife won the stand-off, sending Beckett back into a large wooden bookcase. "No!" I shrieked. Beckett groaned, but struggled to get back to his feet. He was about to reach his full height when he fell lifelessly to the floor, his head hitting the stone. "Atlas!"

"Hey, Raife! Take this!" Atlas _finally_ clapped his hands together, creating a massive shockwave that reverberated through the room. Raife tried to block it, but he was too slow and was swept off his feet into the wall. His head snapped to the side and his eyes rolled back.

"Hey! It worked-," I spun around, hopeful, but all I saw was my brother fall to his knees.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he smirked, exhausted.

"No, no," I ran over to my brother to hold him up or protect him or… anything, but before I could make it, the ground shook and I tripped. I spun around on my back and saw Raife standing, straightening his skull back on his snapped neck.

"You insolent children!" he hissed, his voice ringing through the lab. He started towards us, looking completely uninjured. "It's over. You have no more friends to sacrifice. You're alone now."

My heart was racing. Tears stung my eyes. I could barely breathe. I looked around at all of my friend's bodies, then at Atlas, struggling to stand. Anger churned at my core. I pulled myself to my feet, fuming.

"Percy, don't!"

"No," I mumbled, my eyes locked on my target. I pulled the mace from Atlas' back before I began my pursuit, taking a few steps forward, picking up the sword I'd dropped when Griffin tackled me. I swung it with all the power I could muster, but he blocked it with his gauntlet-covered arm, shattering it into pieces. Without a second thought, I swung the mace with my other hand, cracking it across his face. A shockwave of my own burst out, sending him back over to his corner. He hit a wall and spat out blood as he hit the ground.

He staggered to his feet, glaring angrily at me. "How dare you-"

I walked slowly toward him. "How dare I?" I hissed, swinging again. Another shockwave knocked a few of the shelves off the wall, sending them crashing down onto him. "You ruin the lives of helpless children, split up families, and hurt my best mates, and you have the _nerve_ to ask how dare I?" I twisted the mace around in my hand. When he tried to stand, I hit him again, walking slowly closer.

"Enough!" he spat blood out onto the ground then raised his hand to me as he clawed his way to his feet. A few of the spells he'd sent my way connected, sending me back toward Atlas.

"Leave my brother alone!" Atlas growled like a rabid dog, slinging his glowing hands around through the air. Raife froze in place, struggling against his invisible shackles. "Get up, Percy."

I pulled myself to my feet and slipped my hand into my jacket, pulling out the earth marble I'd saved. I hadn't even cast a spell yet and the entire lab began to shake. I could feel my fury growing. The roof above us began to crack and crumble, sending a giant chunk of rock down onto Raife's head. When that marble had run its course, I pulled out the last one I had, the water marble. Heavy drops of rain fell onto my face, but I didn't waver. After a moment, the rain turned to hail, focused purely on Raife. The hail began to grow in size, starting as ice cubes and turning into ice blocks larger than his tables.

Raife pulled himself to his feet, his injuries beginning to show. "Are you quite through?" He threw his arm out, breaking the spell Atlas had cast. "Well, done," he smiled evilly. "I'm almost impressed." He reached into his robe, pulling out a vile of powder then sprinkling it on the ground. In an instant, new shadow beasts began emerging near his feet. "Get him," he snarled.

Five of the beasts surrounded Atlas. He tried to blast them with a sun spell, but he was too weak to make it work, getting overwhelmed much too quickly. "Get off me!" he yelled, but they were too strong. They pulled him by his ankles over to the platform and hoisted him up onto it, strapping him down.

"Atlas, no!"

"It isn't just him you should be worried about," Raife's smirk grew into a devilish sneer, taking a step toward me.

A loud bark rang through the air as Orien appeared suddenly before me, my last line of defence. "Orien, no. Not again," I panicked, remembering how damaged he was from just one shadow beast last time. He couldn't protect me from Raife, and I knew it. He growled and a massive ice storm began to circle around us, hiding us from Raife. As his shadow began to approach through the snow, his limbs began to thicken. The snow had gathered on his arms and legs, freezing him in place. I dove forward, picking up a torch that had fallen from the wall, and slammed it into his arm, shattering it. When the storm passed, his arm began to bleed heavily, making him stagger back, eyes glowing with hatred. He snarled and flicked his hand, sending Orien across the room. "No!" I screamed. He struggled to his feet, whining loudly before dropping to the floor, his sorrowful eyes on me. Raife started toward me again, wincing from his injuries. My heart slammed in my chest. I was surrounded by my dead or dying friends and my brother had already been outdone. Even my arylu had been brutalised. I felt the anger in my chest, my lungs, my throat. I let out a loud, angry scream, sending a burst of light out from my core. It collided with Raife, sending him back against the wall once more. I started towards him again, eyeing the mace, but before I could get there, a large red cloud of fog formed around him. I squinted through the fog, watching as his injuries healed, his arm growing back out of his shoulder. If that weren't enough, more shadow monsters emerged from the fog. I readied myself and, when the first monster approached me, I threw a glowing hand into its chest, causing it to explode. I shot light out through both hands, smashing the other shadows. Mid fight, I was ploughed over by something heavy hitting me in the back of the neck.

"It's time you learnt your place!" Raife snarled, towering above me. He twisted his hand and all I could feel was pain. Blood sprayed out of my shoulder, pooling around my head. I wailed in agony. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. I was in so much pain, that I hardly noticed that I'd been hovering above the floor. Raife slammed me onto the platform next to my brother and strapped me down, despite my weak struggling.

"Percy…," Atlas' voice was laced with worry. "Let him go, you sadistic bastard!" he shouted, thrashing around, trying to get out of his cuffs.

Raife patted his head before turning away. "All in good time, child, but first you're going to give me the power I seek."

"Go to hell!" I spat, coughing blood out of my mouth. I heard some sort of crank then felt the jolt of the table as we were hoisted into the air by the chains above us toward the opening in the ceiling. The moon was ominously red, almost a full eclipse.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Blood Moon

"Dammit, Raife, you… bloody… weasel!" I shouted, struggling against the metal clamps that held me to the table, inching ever closer to the roof of the stone laboratory. Every movement sent sharp pain through my shoulder and up the back of my neck.

"This isn't over!" Atlas struggled beside me. The platform came to a halt, placing us directly under some Area 51 level equipment. It was like a huge laser gun with a crystal orb hovering above it. A lightning storm roared in the distance, making black clouds block out any trace of starlight. "_That's_ his machine? That's what he's using to steal our power!"

"Let us go!" I wailed just before a blinding red light shot toward us, covering us in a harsh glow. We both screamed. I could feel my energy, or what was left of it, draining away from me. I didn't even have the energy to struggle anymore. I felt nauseous.

"Well, well, well, you aren't dead," the grinding, grotesque voice pierced my ears, filling me with anger, but I was so helpless that I couldn't act on it. "At last, my machine works as intended!" I tried to focus on drawing in my magic, but I could barely sense it at all. _This is it for us…_

"I'm… gonna pass out…," Atlas said weakly.

"No, Atlas, hold on," I tried to move, but all my energy sapped out of me.

"Don't weaken yourself… you idiot," he tried to scold me, but he sounded as if he was on his last leg.

Raife let out a maniacal chuckle. "Oh, Atlas, you always were a _slippery_ little eel. Seeing you so weak is nothing short of a delight." He took a step closer, leaning over us to gloat. _No. Not like this. I don't want to die like this._ I closed my eyes and focused on all of the magic draining out of me, desperately pulling it back in. _Almost…_ When I had enough, my body began to glow. "What are you-"

"You know… what happens… when you get too close to the sun?" I asked, letting out all of the energy I'd reabsorbed, focusing it on Raife. I heard him scream and topple over onto the roof. When the light faded out, he clambered back to his feet, marching toward us once more, his skin seared from half his face and body. I was dizzy from how much magic I'd released all at once, but I could have sworn I saw his bones sticking out from under his burnt skin and muscle. _How is he… still…?_

"Foolish child!" his skinless and bony jaw moved as his skin began to re-graft itself, his voice more of an airy hiss than it had once been. "You've only drained your own strength."

"Maybe," I panted, "but I've… left you… lookin'… rather worse for wear."

He laughed, limping closer to us, his flesh steaming as it made its last repairs. "I've waited _years_ for this moment, and, finally, my patience will repay me. The refractionary power will be mine!" He reached for a lever just on the other side of my brother, but before he could pull it, he was blasted back into his own machine.

"No, you don't!" a familiar, and much welcomed, voice rang through the night air. Swan had blown Raife's arm clean off.

"Swan!" we both called out to her, though it wasn't as loud as we'd tried to make it.

"Perseus! Atlas! I'm so sorry it took me so long to-," she started, but Raife had send a counter-shot at her.

"Don't interfere!" he bellowed. They parried blows at each other, filling the air with a sinister energy I didn't quite recognise. "So you use the forbidden art as well," Raife scowled.

"Wait, Professor, was… is that… Blood magic?" I asked, not able to see much of what was going on from the angle of the table.

"It was, and it's about time I put my Attunement to good use!" she said, sounding as if she'd thrown another spell.

"You're really a Blood-Att!" I tried to lift my head, but the clamp around my neck kept me from doing so. "I bloody knew it!" I was flooded with excitement, as weak as I was, because I'd suspected it for some time. She was too good at both sun _and_ moon magic. There was no way she could be that efficient without being a Blood-Att. After all the research I'd done on the subject, I was relieved to know I was right.

"I would be impressed by this revelation, Professor, but unlike you, I haven't been restraining my power for years," Raife grunted as he threw at least three more spells at her. I assumed his arm had regrown at that point, not being able to see, of course, but the sound of his spells shrieking through the air was hard to mistake. Swan created a gust storm that protected her, sending the spells ricocheting off over our heads. When she released the storm, she began firing shots at the laser gun machine. "Very clever, but you won't free them that easily," Raife's gravelly voice hissed. He redirected her spells, twisting them into some sort of rope, the colour changing as if corrupted.

Though my body couldn't move, my mind struggled, searching for ways to help her. I couldn't see anything but the lightning and blood moon above us, and the giant contraption towering over us, shooting us with that red laser. All I could smell was blood in the air as their attacks hit each other, bounced off, and whipped around them. All I could sense was dread. _There's got to be somethin' I can do…_

I heard a loud crack as a warm beam of light shot into the orb hovering over the machine. "Hang on, boys. I'll get you out of there!" The orb began to crack, but didn't shatter. Just one more hit would do it, but Raife let out an unearthly growl. I heard them caught up in attacks again, Raife grunting with every throw. "I may have been restraining my powers, but a murderer like you couldn't hope to wield blood magic as it was meant to be used!" She fired a moon spell at the machine, cracking the rest of the orb. Sparks flew wildly through the fissures, crackling loudly above us. It didn't break fully, but it was well on its way.

"Once again, Professor, I'm unimpressed," Raife spat. "No surprises there, though, fighting against someone so weak is a disappointment. All you've done is bore me!" He released a spell so powerful that it pushed Swan back into my visual range… right at the edge of the roof. She struggled to balance, but pulled herself firmly to her feet, gripping her arm tightly.

_What is that_? I could feel my magic returning little by little. I knew it wouldn't be a lot, but if I could distract him for even a second, I could help her. I lifted my hand as far as I could in the restraints and sent a bolt of burning light toward him, hitting him square in the shoulder. He stumbled back, but didn't fall, his eyes turning sharply to me. I glared at him, but I knew that I'd only have that one shot, and honestly, my vision wasn't at the top of its game, probably due to the blood loss, but it could have been a number of things; it's not like the past hour had been a holiday.

"Begone, Raife Highmore!" Swan shouted, sending multiple spells toward him, one curving at the last second to hit the orb.

He deflected both with a simple flick of his wrist, and cried triumphantly as he send a counter spell at Swan, hitting her right in the knee with pinpoint precision. "Swan!" I shouted, watching her leg detach from her completely and fall to the roof in a puddle of blood.

She screamed in agony, but stayed focused, like it almost didn't bother her, until another shot hit her in the chest, sending her flying back into the short railing that bordered the roof. She began clawing her way back up to us, struggling to even keep her eyes open. "Atlas… Percy… I'm sorry… for letting you down." She slumped on the last word, face down in the shingles. Her body suddenly became harder to see. I looked up and noticed that the moon was fully red. It was time…

"Yes!" Raife hissed happily. "This power… I've never felt so much magic before! The refactionary power is nearly in my grasp!"

As the sky became a blistering red, my vision began to really fade. I could barely hear Raife's cackling anymore. _This is it… We're done for…_ "Atlas… I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you," I reached for my brother's hand with the very last of my strength. I hadn't heard from him. Was he even still conscious?

"Me… too…," his voice sounded so distant. I was glad he was alive, but for how long? I felt his fingers brush mine with a sudden shock, like touching a power socket with a fork. His hand covered mine and squeezed tightly, and I could feel a surge of magic rush through me, like the first breath of air when you think you're drowning.

"How?" I asked as my vision returned. Or I thought it did. It was so bright that I couldn't see anything.

"Don't think about how! Just use it!" he shouted.

Without more than a thought, power pulsed out of my body, the same way my solar flares did, but stronger… brighter… and effortless. A whining sound rang through my ears before a loud series of pops. The orb shattered and the machine exploded, cracking the roof beneath us. My breath caught at we fell with the piles of debris crumbling to the ground. It was like we'd become a bomb that splintered everything around us.

"You damned children!" Raife screeched, swimming through the air toward us.

Atlas, still squeezing my hand, pulled my arm to spin me toward our captor as my other hand began to glow fiercely. A beam of light shot from my palm into Raife's chest, sending him into one of the crumbling walls. Just before we hit the ground, Atlas shouted, "Fluton!" and created an air cushion for us to land on. As we dropped harmlessly to the floor, he said, "Percy, the ceiling is still collapsing! Go save your frien-"

He spun and hit the ground when Raife send a spell shooting toward his shoulder. "Atlas!"

"Go!" he hissed. "I'll hold him off while you make sure nobody gets crushed!" He pulled himself to his feet, plunging his body toward Raife. I stumbled backwards hesitantly, but then quickly spun around to find my friends before we all got killed… if they weren't dead already.

I found Beckett and Shreya unconscious near the far corner, away from most of the rubble, but several boulders were on their way down. I tapped my foot on the ground swiftly, allowing my movements to accelerate. I raised my left hand up to my face and blew through my fist, forcing the incoming rocks to the far corner of the lab. Using a bit of magic to assist me, I carried Shreya over to a narrow hallway that still looked structurally sound and turned back to carry Beckett, who was much heavier than he looked, granted he was obnoxiously tall, but without the use of my right arm, it would have been impossible to carry him myself. "Don't ya die on me, ya gargantuan twit!" I pulled him over my shoulder, but still had to partially drag him to get him to safety. When I thought they were safe, I spun around to look for Zeph. I found Griffin in a pile of rubble where the desk and mirror used to be. With my speed still active, I hoisted him up and carried him over to the rest of my mates. I still couldn't find Zeph. My heart raced as I began to panic.

"Over here!" Atlas hollered from across the room, parrying a blow from Raife.

I eyed my mate under a heavy slab of metal near where he was standing and sprinted over to him. With a flick of my wrist, I sent the metal slab back towards the wall and began to pull Zeph up, but his legs were stuck. I looked around and saw a puddle of corrosive potions dripping onto a piece of debris near his head, streaming down ominously toward him. I was able to redirect them, buying me enough time to unbury his legs and pull him out, but the area around us was still full of hazards. I got him into the hallway just before another chunk of ceiling began to fall, this one a bit larger than some of the others. I flinched away, but noticed something else falling.

"Swan!" Her lifeless body plummeted toward the ground. I stretched my hand out to her, knowing I was too far away to safely catch her. As if my magic knew my thoughts, a powerful gust of wind shot out from my fingertips with a rainbow burst of light that enveloped Swan's body, drifting her safely over to me. I looked down at my palms, baffled at this new development.

When I managed to shake off the shock, I sprinted over to my brother. With everyone's body safer than they had been, I could help him. He wiped a trickle of blood from his busted lip with the back of his hand and smirked. "You've done all this gloating, Raife, but me and my brother are still here."

"Don't let your luck go to your head!" Raife hissed, not looking good. "I'll rid the world of you soon enough!"

Atlas chuckled, standing defensively. "I dunno about that. It seems like you're full of hot air," he did a swift hand motion, sending a jet of steam at Raife. "Percy, we have to finish him!" We both charged at him, but a simple wave of his hand threw us back.

"Not so fast, Perseus," he smirked menacingly. "I've been saving this for you."

Behind him, a part of the stone wall broke down, releasing a mutilated looking elk with two heads and dead snakes draped from its antlers. The skin on its neck was peeled back and rotting, showing its skeleton for all to see. Its eye holes were lit with blue fire and its pelt was mangy and blood crusted. It charged straight for me. I dodged out of the way just before it reached me, but as it passed I could smell the stench of death. I glanced up at it quickly, trying to catch its next move, but the sight of it filled me with the strongest urge to vomit, I mean… who could do that? Let that poor creature rest in peace... It turned on its back hooves and started at me again. In a moment of panic, I threw some of the larger chunks of debris onto it, smashing it several times, like a scared teen taking a slipper to a roach. The smell of rotting flesh filled the air, but the beast didn't stand up again. I turned my head away, blocking my nose and mouth with the back of my wrist. _Oh, god…_

"Percy! I could use backup!" Atlas shouted over to me, heading my direction until Raife pulled him back with a gust of wind.

"Where do you think you're going?" he snarled. "I believe you and I were in the middle of something."

I spun on my heel, sprinting over to him, my hand over the lower half of my face. "Leave him alone!" I skidded to a stop and put my hand up, ready to cast, but a whip of water was aimed straight at me.

"Slow down, Perseus. Why don't you take a moment to catch your breath?" he sneered, and before I knew it, I was enveloped in a thick sphere of water. I was starting to not like water so much… I yelled as I got swept up, letting out the last of my air. Clamping my hand over my mouth to conserve what I had left, I tried to focus. All I could think about was saving my brother. When I took a breath, it was pure oxygen. With my lungs doing just fine, I swam to the edge of the sphere and punched at it a few times, slowly mind you, I was in the water, and managed to break out.

"Percy, he's trying to keep us separated!" Atlas called over his shoulder as he dove out of the way of a spell swirling right at him. I took a step forward, but my other foot wouldn't move. I looked down to see a hand around my ankle. Before I could fight it, I was pulled down into a black hole that was growing rapidly under me.

When I hit the floor, my shoulder hissed at me to stop getting myself hurt. I stood quickly, my hand gripped tightly on the gash. I was in some sort of moist cavern with glowing green pools. Two of Raife's lackeys were powering up spells in front of me. "Shite," I mumbled, positioning myself to dodge in any direction.

"I hope you like the ambiance," the man said, "'cause you're gonna be here for a long time." He and his female companion shot dual spells at me, metal and earth, causing small shards of metal and rock to stab into me.

I stumbled back into a stalagmite, sick of being cut to pieces by glass and the like. I had tiny bits of tin and gravel stuck in my skin. It stung to move, but then it stung to do anything. Groaning, I sliced my hand downward into the ground, causing a fissure to open beneath them.

"Please, that's child's play," the woman said, lifting herself and her companion with air magic and hovering over the ground until it sealed itself. When they landed, they began throwing more spells at me, most of which I was still able to dodge, but it sucked, and I was tempted not to dodge at all. The pain was severe, but I had to get back up to my brother or we'd _all_ be dead.

"Why are you doin' this? Don't you know Raife is a murderer?" I shouted, just trying not to get hit anymore.

"Raife Highmore can't be stopped by the likes of you!" the man yelled, his body going still as he said it.

"Raife Highmore is the greatest Attuned who ever lived," the woman's voice was monotone, her body freezing as well.

I squinted, noticing that their eyes were both glazed over. _He's controlling them…_ I channelled my moon spell to them, not able to get close enough to touch them, but hoping this new power boost would come in handy. "Don't hurt me. I'm not your enemy," I said calmly, or as calmly as I could with as much as my body ached.

"What the?" the man shook his head, tapping his palm to his temple. _Oh, thank god. It worked…_

"Where am I? What's going on?" the woman looked around, completely thrown off by her surroundings.

I took a tentative step towards them. "You pulled me through a portal on Raife's orders. He put you under a thrall, but I broke it. I need to get back to protect my brother!" I huffed out.

The man stumbled back. "No, Raife would never… I _choose_ to serve him! It's _my_ choice!"

"Wait a minute," the woman looked around, her fists balled and fury in her eyes. "This guy's messing with my head now? After everything he's- That's it, I'm fucking gone!"

"You can't!" the man turned on her, fire coming from his own fist. "I won't let you! I _won't_ let Raife down!"

She scoffed and sent a rock flying into his head with a flick of her wrist, knocking him out. "'Let Raife down' my ass. That monster must have done this to us when he sensed my loyalty wavering."

"You don't have to do what he says anymore," I stood up straight, my hand still clasping at my shoulder. "You should really run for your life," I suggested, my eyes meeting with hers, a flicker of the moon magic still active.

"You're fuckin' right. I need to get out of here," she said, turning to run through the cave system.

I nodded to myself. _Right. I'm comin', Atlas!_ I climbed back up to the portal and pulled myself out onto the debris covered floor. When I got to my feet, my hands were already charging. "Nice try, Raife, but your minions weren't enough to keep me away," I threw a wind tunnel at him, knocking him off his feet and into the ceiling, the same way he had taken down Zeph.

I ran over to Atlas, helping him to his feet. His eye was swollen, but he smirked when I pulled him up. "About time. Thought you were leavin' all the fun to me."

"How dare you, you blasted orphans!" Raife stumbled to his feet, blood dripping down his chin. He threw a wave of darkness at us, and we couldn't dodge it. As it surrounded us, Orien jumped in the way, dispelling it instantly with a small shockwave of power, enough to knock the injured Raife Highmore off his feet again.

"Orien! Why aren't you in the ether healin'?" I asked, bending down to greet him thankfully. He still had scuffs and scrapes, but his will was strong. He limped over to me and licked my hand, leaving an icy trail that stung for a moment, but made some of the scratches feel better in the end.

"So your pathetic creature is back? No matter," Raife pulled himself up again, like an inflatable punching bag that never stayed down. "It won't be the first familiar I've killed."

Orien spun around, his growl sounding as large as a dragon. I could feel the power emanating off of him. "Hey, boy, power me up," I whispered. He barked approvingly at me, his purple markings and scales beginning to glow. I placed my hand between his ears, feeling the surge of energy flooding into me. "I think it's time you and I had a heart to heart, Raife." I stalked forward and thrust my palm toward him, sending spears of ice sailing through the air. They hit him perfectly, pinning him to the wall. When he tried to melt them, they started to glow purple, the liquid soaking into his body, causing him to let out an agonising scream. He fell to the ground, landing face first in the rubble. "Thanks, boy," I smiled at my arylu, who nodded curtly before disappearing back into the ether.

"You haven't defeated me yet, _boy_," Raife lumbered to his feet, shaking as he stood. His magic healed him, but not as quickly as before.

"You really wanna keep goin'?" I asked, extending my arm out in front of me. "I could do this all day." I clenched my fist, power sparking from my hand.

Atlas laughed weakly. "Don't look so tough now, do you, Raife?"

"Damn you twins!" he shouted angrily, a roar coming from deep in his core that made the entire building warp. Magical energy swirled around him, creating some kind of cyclone. "You won't leave here alive!" he bellowed. The energy lifted him off the ground, twisting him around like the eye of a tornado. Debris flew around the lab, getting pulled into the current. Atlas and I even had to struggle to keep our feet on the ground.

"He's mad!" I yelled.

"He's gathering his strength for the final blow!" Atlas' eyes met mine. "He's going to use all of his magic in one go!"

I snarled. "Maybe this'll teach him not to throw a wobbly," I sent a scythe-like light beam towards him, and it hit him square in the chest, ripping through him and making his limbs seize. He fell limp, but the magic around him was already too strong. It kept spinning his body around in circles, the cyclone growing more and more volatile. "I admit, that didn't work the way I wanted it to." I grabbed Atlas' wrist and jerked him behind what remained of the desk.

"We don't have much time before that cyclone gets out of control, but we can't just rush him right now," Atlas panted. "All that unstable magic could really mess us up." He looked me over. "We shouldn't have any trouble, though. Look at you. The most powerful Attuned in the world hasn't beaten you down. You looked pretty good, considering."

I let out a small chuckle. "I suppose it could be worse, but I'm not in peak condition," I looked down at my shoulder. It had stopped bleeding for the most part, but it was covered in dirt and gravel. My arms had lost some of the metal slivers, but I still had cuts up and down my arms, cat scratches really compared to Atlas. "If there's anyone he should be afraid of, it's you," I smirked. "Other than that eye of yours, you look like you're itchin' to kick some arse. What are you, indestructible?"

"Damn straight," his expression was hard, but I knew he was smirking on the inside. He looked just as damaged as I did, honestly, but our options were denial or death, so… hard choice, right? His leg looked pretty beat up, but he acted like he hadn't noticed. I wasn't sure if he was just a tough guy or if he'd used magic to stop feeling it. He had a deep gash on his forearm, a swollen brow, blood knotting up the hair that fell over his face, and tears in his favourite leather jacket, which I assumed hid the slashes and gashes underneath, but they didn't look slight.

My face fell. "Atlas… If we don't make it through this, I just want you to know-"

"Don't even start," he scolded me, a harsh look in his eye. "We're gonna kick that freak's ass and make sure he never hurts anyone else again, you got me?"

I nodded sombrely. "But I just want-" He shook his head. "Alright, well, we just need to figure out how to defeat a super-powered murderer. How hard can that be?" Behind us, Raife screamed in anger, clearly healed from my earlier spell.

Atlas glanced over the desk before returning his gaze to me. "It's weird. He strapped us to that table to suck out our magic and unlock the refractionary power, but I don't think he's using it."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "When I grabbed your hand on the roof, I felt all my power come back. I think our powers combined and overloaded his machine," I remembered. "When it exploded, we must have absorbed the rebounded refractionary energy, I think. That would explain some of the power I've felt durin' this spat."

"That also explains why he's been trying to keep us apart this whole time," Atlas looked thoughtfully down at his leg. "Maybe we still have some of that power left in us."

"He must be afraid of us usin' it against him," I agreed. "If we summon it again, I _know_ we can take him out, but we can only do it by workin' together," I extended my hand out in front of me. "This is how it happened the first time. Do you think it'll work again?"

"Only one way to find out," he nodded, cupping his hand around mine. As soon as our skin touched, power radiated through us, making me feel like I was unstoppable.

"Let's end this. For good this time," I narrowed my eyes, thinking up a plan. As I began to stand, I felt something cold brush against my ankle. I pulled it out of the rubble and realised it was the handle to the mace we'd brought with us.

"That's part of that mace! The rest of it must be buried around here somewhere," he spun around to look, but nothing was on the surface.

"Leave it to me," I nodded, casting a quick locator spell. The handle pulled toward the massive swirling tower that was Raife Highmore's unstable mess. "It's pointin' directly at him. I think it must be buried beneath him."

"We can't get close now, not with his power spiralling around him like that," Atlas pointed out.

I thought for a moment, thinking we could sneak over, but then another thought hit me. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure how well it'll work."

"It's better than nothing," Atlas shrugged.

I thought back to the first and only time I'd done the spell with Beckett in the library. I focused on the location of the mace head and reached my hand out. Controlling my air magic, I closed my fist and pulled it back to me. The rubble beneath Raife began to shift and slide, revealing the shining metal spike ball. It flew towards us and Atlas caught it by the broken handle. When he handed it to me, the two pieces began to glow, shooting light out in every direction until the weapon was mended. "Ace," I mumbled. _It's like a video game._

"Raife won't know what hit him," Atlas' expression hardened.

I stared at the bruise forming above his eye. Suddenly, like a wave of rage, all of my anger flooded back into me. Raife Highmore had hurt my friends, my family, my _brother_, and Swan. I gripped the mace tightly and threw myself up from behind the desk. When I reached Raife, I swung the mace directly into his chest. I heard his bones crack as he flew back into the wall. Before he could even fall to the ground, I pulled back for another swing. The spikes tore through his skin before he took a second flight to the ceiling. As he fell back to the ground, I assisted him in his travels by bashing him again on the back of the neck, sending him so hard into the floor that he made a dent in the stone.

Atlas charged up from behind me with a battle cry. Dropping the mace, since I only had the use of one hand at the time, I used my wood magic to pin Raife to the wall, spears of tree limbs holding him in place. Atlas pulled the metal bookcase out of the rubble from across the room and sent it flying into him, knocking him down from the wall and toppling over on him on the floor, pinning him once again. Atlas and I took a step back and blasted him with our own Attunements, the sun and moon spells combining into something greater… something brilliant. The light fractured into a million colours before lifting Raife up from the rubble and slamming him against the archway to the left of us.

"No!" he screamed weakly before he hit the floor, unmoving. As our boosted power began to fade, I walked over to Raife, towering above him. His body was contorted, and his breath rattled through his teeth. "Don't… look so… smug," he managed to get out, his jaw partially dislocated.

I shook my head with a cruel smirk. "Oh, I ain't smug. I'm angry," I said a lot calmer than I felt. "I'm angry that you've ruined so many lives. I'm angry that you've hurt the people I love. You killed my parents. You killed Atlas' foster parents. You killed the dean. You killed _children_," I spat in disgust. "At the end of it all, it was for _nothin'._ You gained _nothin'_, and everyone else lost," I scowled.

"Save… the sob story… I don't," he coughed, blood spewing out of his mouth and nose as his jaw tried to fix itself, "regret my pursuit… of true power."

"Yet, in the end, you're powerless, and I take pleasure in knowin' that you're gonna die knowin' that." I knelt down to him. "But I'd like to know one thing first. What did you do to our parents?"

Raife laughed, sending himself into a coughing fit. "Those weaklings?"

"Don't you _dare_ call them that," Atlas stood behind me, looming over Raife like he wanted to step on his head.

"Your father was no match for me, but your mother, oh she was the surprise," he grinned weakly. "She had fierceness in her."

"Is she-," Atlas started to ask.

"Oh, she failed in the end, make no mistake of it," Raife's sneer grew beneath his bloodied face. "Oh, how she _begged_ for me to spare you two. She promised me _great_ things should I honour her wishes. 'Powers untold', she said. I saw right through her."

"I've heard enough," I stood, looking down my nose at the madman who ruined our lives. "I'll rest easy knowin' your final moments were spent pathetic and broken like the pile of shit that you are."

"Do you really think this will be over just because you've defeated me?" he smirked up at me, but it was a gruesome smirk, his mangled body restlessly attempting to repair itself, but failing. "You have no idea of your importance, of the people who will want to use you, of the fate that comes with being as powerful as you are. This isn't the end, child. This is only the catalyst-"

"Shut the fuck up!" I snarled. When he began to laugh his ugly laugh again, I did a swift gesture with one hand, making tree roots pierce his throat from the ground and grow out around his face and shoulders, blood dripping from his blank features as the life drained out of him and his glowing eyes went dark.

"You have no idea what you've started," whispered through my mind, making me stumble back a bit.

"Percy," Atlas caught me before I tripped. "What's wrong?"

I held my hands tightly over my ears. "Just die already!" I shouted, kicking a piece of stone toward his body. It hit his leg and rolled off. Just after, his body turned to dust that fell softly onto the blood-stained ground.

"Percy!" Atlas wrapped his arms around my shoulders, watching me nearly hyperventilate as he held me close to him. "It's over. Just breathe."

I nodded, trying to calm myself down, and stared down at Raife's ashes, hoping they'd catch fire or something. I was staring for quite a while, but it didn't seem that way. Eventually, my heart quit racing and I was able to take a deep breath.

Atlas tapped me on the shoulder. "Percy," he called softly. It was only then that I'd realised he'd let me go and had been walking around the wreckage. "I've got good news. You friends are alive and are going to be fine, and Swan… Well, I managed to stop the bleeding," he frowned painfully, "and she's still breathing, so that's a good sign." He looked down at where I'd been staring. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to a small black rock in the middle of Raife's ashes. It had a subtle red glow to it.

I shuttered, a snarl fighting its way out of my body. "It's his essence. I remember Kontos sayin' that essences only remain behind if the soul's been corrupted."

"Raife was _definitely_ corrupted, to say the least," his lip curled. "We should take it. I don't think it's a good idea to leave it lying around. If he was able to make monsters from these essences, there's no way of knowing someone won't use his essence to try to bring him back." When the thought sent a chill down my spine, he added, "Plus, we might be able to get some answers from it."

"Maybe," I agreed before bending down to pick it up. I slipped it into my jacket pocket and turned on my heel to go see my friends, unconscious as they all still were. On my way, I noticed a pool of blackened goo. I followed it to the tormented head of the elk I'd put down before. I sight made me hurl. I could smell the dead blood again, but this time couldn't fight the urge to blow chunks.

"Percy, why didn't you let me kill him?" Atlas put his hand on my back as I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. "If I'd known you'd take it this hard…"

"Fuck Raife," I mumbled. "That thing is an abomination," I pointed without looking toward the two headed elk. "Anyone who can make somethin' like that deserves to die." _I think my body is rejecting me…_

"Agreed," he said lowly, really looking at the poor creature. Not that it looked any better under the rock I'd crushed it with.

He pulled me to my feet and helped me as we kept moving to the far end of the room, but on the way, I nearly stepped on the dean's cold body. I bent down to unbury her, feeling a bit sorry for her. "Atlas, help me."

"Why? She helped us get into this mess," he hissed.

"Just do it, please," I gave him a look and he agreed, begrudgingly.

"She's definitely dead," Atlas said, looking her body over. Her neck had been broken in all the commotion and her legs had been crushed by falling debis.

I frowned. "It's sad. Not that she was a crooked old woman, but that Raife left a slew of destruction in his wake wherever he went." I put my hand over her eyes to close them, but the second I did, I was pulled into a vision.

_I entered the ruins of my family home, my breath catching as I saw the ruins of my entry hall. "What has happened here?" I put my hands to my mouth in shock._

_An icy voice echoed across they foyer. "Ah, at last. It's rude to keep guests waiting, you know."_

_A figure emerged from the shadows before me, his white hair and beard overgrown and his bloodred eyes glowing in the darkness. "You're-"_

_"Raife Highmore, otherwise known by the horrid colloquialism 'The Dread'. Awful nickname, really, but I've become quite fond of it myself," he spoke casually, but I knew he wasn't here on a social call. "And before you go and state any more of the obvious, yes, I'm alive." His emotionless stare made my hands tremble, but I couldn't let him see that. I clenched my fists and stood my ground._

_"What are you doing here in my home? What do you want from me?" I demanded._

_"Oh, I've already obtained what I want from you," he said coldly, an evil smirk inching up his face. "She threw quite a tantrum. I'm sure you won't be happy with the state of her room."_

_My face fell. "You have G-," I froze._

_"Yes, I do. I thought we were through stating the obvious," he snarled, stepping closer, his red cloak billowing in a non-existent wind. I could feel the air becoming thick and filled with malice._

_"Where is she?" I took my own step forward, filled with anger._

_"Somewhere safe," he grinned, showing off his foul teeth. "As long as I feel like keeping it safe, that is." Then, he dropped all formalities and facades. "I am in need of one of your students. Bring him to me, and I'll return what I've taken. I'm sure you're well aware of the Sun-Attuned boy, Perseus Miller."_

_"You're after Miller?" I gasped. What could that poor boy have gotten himself into? "That boy is under my protection. I am the dean of Penderghast. The safety of my students is my primary responsibility," I stood firm. _

_"Which is precisely why you're the one I came to," he sneered. "No-one would notice if one single student happened to… vanish… into thin air, would they?"_

_I narrowed my eyes at him. "I will _never_ let you harm one of my students, and you will _never_ get through Penderghast's wards."_

_He frowned. "A shame, really. Then you will never see your dear sweet girl again."_

_"Raife, please," I begged._

_"Oh, grovelling!" he cheered. "I haven't been grovelled to in years."_

_"You're a monster!" I hissed._

_He held up a finger. "Ah-ah. An outburst like that will do nothing to help you. I suggest you brush up on the workings of a hostage situation."_

_"Raife, you despicable cretin!" I howled, my power swirling around me._

_With a single lift of his hand, my magic vanished, and I was sent flying into the stair rail. "I can be patient. I've waited _seventeen years_ for Perseus Miller to raise his head, but my patience has begun to run thin. Bring him to me."_

_"What are you going to do to him?" I asked, pulling myself to my feet with a groan._

_"Nosy, nosy!" he gasped. "Elise, that is of no concern to you. You will bring me the Miller boy at your earliest convenience. You have until the end of the year. This is not negotiable. If you make one move toward trying to find the child you care so much about, she'll be dead when you find her. Remember, it's the boy's life for hers." I lunged out, trying to strike him, but my body froze. "I suggest you think over what I'm capable of, Elise. That will help you come to the right decision." He walked swiftly passed me toward the door. "The next time I see you, you had better not be alone."_

_When he disappeared, my body fell to the floor. I put my head in my hands and sobbed, my cries echoing around the room, reminding me of how pathetic I was._

My head snapped back when the vision cleared, letting my eyes see the ruins of the lab once more, but my body couldn't hold itself up anymore. I felt myself falling, but couldn't stop it.

"Percy!" Atlas ran over to me, holding me up. "What did you see?"

I blinked several times before my voice came back to me. "Dean Goeffe," I started. "She… was blackmailed. This wasn't her fault," I told him, rubbing my eyes and the bridge of my nose with my good hand.

"Blackmailed? What do you mean?" he asked.

I leant forward and dug through the dean's blazer. In the inside pocket, there was a golden locket. I opened it to reveal an old faded picture of a young girl. "Raife abducted this girl," I pointed out. "He told her it was either my life or hers. This girl is still in trouble," I turned to him. "Raife is dead now, but what if that means his lackeys will kill her when the news spreads?" I looked down at the locket. _Raife may have deserved death, but that doesn't mean everyone involved did. _"I wonder if she's Goeffe's daughter… granddaughter maybe…"

"Do you think we can actually find her?" he asked, looking down at the dean's cold, lifeless body.

"Do you want to?" I asked, hoping he'd say yes. The sins of the parent should never be the sins of the child.

He scoffed. "I don't want to help this witch."

I frowned. "Whoever this kid is, she didn't deserve this fate. I think the dean really loved her. What if she's in trouble?"

He let out a sigh and put a hand on my shoulder. "Regardless, we have to worry about ourselves first." As if those words had suddenly drained him, he fell to his knees. "I did too much magic. I'm… gonna black out now."

My head began to spin, too. I felt dizzy, hungry, hurt, and overall just exhausted. "What happens when you use too much magic? 'Cause I feel like I'm gonna die." I noticed my vision tilt, but I didn't realise I was falling until I landed on my side. I could hear Atlas' shallow breathing, and I could just barely make out my friends and the professor in the hall only metres away. Orien appeared suddenly, standing over me. I wanted to call out to him, but I had no energy left. He curled up between me and Atlas, whining as he looked us over. For the first time since the fighting began, I felt no pain, no grief… just… peace.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: Finally, the End

"Atlas… I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you…"

Everything around us was dark and cold. I felt empty and broken, like I'd failed. I knew Atlas was in trouble, but I couldn't reach him, no matter how hard I tried. _Where is he? I thought this was over. Why is this happenin'?_

"Atlas!" my eyes shot open and regretted it almost immediately. The sunlight flooding the room was unpleasant to my skin and retinas for the first time in my life. I was drenched in sweat, and my hands were shaking. I sat up, regretting that, too. My entire body ached like I'd been thrown against a wall several times… _That all must have been real, then… _I looked down at myself. I was covered in small bandages and my fingernails were caked with dirt, my cuticles outlined by blood that just didn't want to wash away. _If that was real…_ "Atlas!" Forgetting about my pain, I threw the covers off of my legs and threw my head around my room, frantically trying to find him. "Where are you?" I panicked.

"Will you relax?" came a welcome groan down by my feet. "I'm right here."

I looked at the floor to find my brother curled up in his sleeping bag, pulling it further up over his head. "Thank Christ, you're alive," I muttered, letting out a heavy breath. "Are you alright?"

He rolled over, sticking his head out from his cocoon, one eye wide with worry, the other under a headwrap. It was only then that I realised how tightly my fist was clenched around my shirt. "I'm solid," he sat up. "Don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you. You look like hell." Groaning at his own bodily pain, he began to inspect me.

"Maybe, but you might want to take a gander at yourself first," I smirked weakly. "If I look like hell, you look like a new form of torture."

He chuckled carelessly, but tried to stifle it when his hand shot to his ribcage. "Don't make me laugh, you ass. It hurts," he winced.

Knowing he was fine, I closed my eyes to breathe for a moment, but that was short lived. The full memory of the night rushed back to me like a sandstorm, and so did the pain. My stomach knotted. "What about the others? Did they make it out of there?" I worried.

He frowned. "I passed out before you did. I don't know any more than you do. I don't even know how we got back here," he looked around our room like he might spot some kind of clue.

A loud bark rang through my ear as my arylu appeared by my feet, nearly landing on Atlas' bad leg. "Orien!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're not hurt, are you?" I lifted his legs to inspect his paws. He'd been limping the last I saw him. He licked my face, leaving an icy sting on my grazed cheek, before jumping off the bed and running to the door, filled with energy. "You're right. We have to look for them."

Atlas and I helped each other up, but we were both limping so much that we had to use each other just to move. We were like a pathetic three-legged race team as we tried to break down a door.

"There they are!"

I looked up in shock at the murmuring people before us. Zeph, Shreya, Griffin, Beckett, and Aster were all in the common room sat around the table, their grins as wide as stretched taffies. My heart felt like it might explode.

"Perc, you're crying," Zeph stood up first.

"You… you're all alright," I mumbled, feeling the hot streaks on my face sting at what I assumed was a deep cut on my cheek. "Thank god. I was… I thought," I said breathlessly, staring at the lot of them.

"C'mon, Percy, you're getting me all wet," Atlas flicked my ear with the hand around my shoulder holding him up. "Stop being such a baby," he teased, but his tone was soft.

"You're okay, too!" Griffin started toward us. "And you're awake!"

"And you're mobile!" Aster cheered from the far side of the room. "It's so good to see you out of bed!"

"Should they be moving around?" Beckett fretted, starting towards us like we were two decrepit old ladies about to fall over. "Do you need any help?"

Shreya, who'd been standing like a statue with tears streaming down her face, pushed Beckett out of the way and threw her arms out. "C'mere, you," she said, throwing her arms around _Atlas_ and pushing me a few steps away. He looked just as shocked as the rest of us, but his eyes got even wider when Shreya's hands cupped his face and her lips crashed into his.

"Um…," Atlas froze when she finally pulled back.

"I was so worried!" she cried, throwing her arm out to pull me into a three-way hug.

"Please release me," Atlas whispered, still horribly confused.

"No!" she shouted, beckoning for the rest of our friends to join in on the hug, smothering us in the middle.

"I'm glad you're all okay," I mumbled into her arm. "When Raife… I thought…"

"That we were just playing dead, because we knew you'd be disappointed if we beat Raife for you?" Zeph filled in of his own accord.

I chuckled through the emotion. "Yeah, somthin' like that." When we all pulled apart, I asked, "What happened after we conked out? How did we all get back here?"

Aster took a step back, holding her arm nervously. "Once I was feeling like myself again, I found Professor Kontos and told him what happened," she spoke softly, almost too soft to hear. "We went through the mirror and found you all," she frowned. "Professor Kontos rushed you all to the medical wing. We thought you and Atlas would be more comfortable in the dorm, so we brought you both back here after the Menders healed your wounds."

"Not all of them," Atlas favoured his rib again.

"We woke up this morning completely disoriented and with a headache to match, but not much worse for wear," Shreya added to Aster's story. I took a moment to look around at them. As she said, they looked pretty good, considering. A couple scratches and bruises here and there, but they were able to move and laugh, so that was good.

"It was actually pretty cool watching the Menders work," Griffin smiled. "They even managed to stabilise Professor Swan and bring her back to consciousness!" A wave of sadness suddenly hit him. "Although, her leg is still… well, you know…"

The image replayed in my mind: her leg getting ripped off, her limp body falling to the ground, the blood… It reeked of blood… I felt Atlas tap my shoulder and I shook the thought out of my head. "The point is, we're all safe and it's all thanks to Aster."

She blushed. "I was just doing my part. You all did yours in that dreadful laboratory."

"She's right," Atlas nodded. "This was a team effort, and we pulled it off."

The others kept talking, but my focus was on Aster. I knew she wasn't there for the brutal parts, but Raife still got to her. On top of all that, she saw the aftermath of the fight. I was worried about her. When her eyes met mine through our crowd of friends, it was like the world disappeared. I was so glad she was unharmed.

"Percy, could I talk to you, please? It'll be quick, I promise," she looked away, her eyes landing in the corner of the room.

"Yeah, of course," I nodded and limped over to her before she helped me to the corner so we could speak alone.

She looked so sad. The flowers in her hair hadn't recovered from Raife's invasion of her branching, so she looked even more upset. "Percy, I… I want to apologise."

"Apologise? Whatever for?" I furrowed my brows at her. There wasn't a thing she need apologise for. If anything, I needed to thank her for everything she'd done for me, for our friends.

"I can't help but think that, if only I were there, maybe I could have-"

I cut her off with a kiss, my hands caressing her jaw. "Apologise again and I'll kiss you before the first syllable. You did all you could, and I won't hear anythin' of it." If she'd been there… if she'd gotten hurt… I'd never have forgiven myself.

She looked like she was about to object, but her frustration turned into a sheepish smile. "I'm glad you're back, Percy," she held my wrists. "I'm glad it's all over."

"We have to plan that date, then, don't we?" I grinned, resting my forehead against hers. She bit her lip and nodded slowly.

We returned to the group when we heard Shreya causing an uproar. "This is for almost getting yourself killed!" A loud crack rang around the room as the palm of her hand collided with my brother's face. Immediately after, she planted another kiss on his lips.

He froze for a moment, his eye narrowed, probably from the sting on top of his already injured face, but then he smirked. "If that's what I get in return, I should try to get killed more often," he chuckled, looking uncharacteristically happy.

"Say that again, and I'll kill you myself," she smiled, her thumbs rubbing his cheeks as his hands met her waist. "You can't even begin to imagine how worried I was when I woke up this morning."

"When did you two get so chummy?" I asked, a wicked smirk on my face.

Atlas looked away and pulled his hands back, shoving them in his pockets, as Shreya turned to the rest of us with a brilliant smile. "Since before the gala," was all she said, but her expression gave me the impression that some _things_ happened _at_ the gala. She spun around to his side and laced her arm with his. "We should all sit and relax before I do something I'll regret."

We all sat in the common room and discussed the events of the previous night for nearly an hour. I was glad to be alive to talk about it, but my stomach was _very_ distracting. It took most of the energy I had left to pay attention to the conversation.

"I expected Raife to be powerful, but he killed Dean Goeffe with a wave of his hand," Beckett slumped over his knees, sorrow and horror painted across his face, which he kept aimed at the rug. As her name slipped from his mouth, the room fell deadly silent. "Dean Goeffe is… _was_ a great woman. She did a lot for this school. We were lucky to have her."

Atlas scoffed. "How can you even say that? She was a traitor. She endangered the whole school for her own selfish reasons!" he snapped, Shreya flinching away a bit at the harshness in his tone.

I frowned, knowing his words were true, but I'd also had that vision about Raife abducting that poor girl. "She was certainly a mystery…" I slipped my hand into my pocket and was a bit relieved to find the locket still there.

"Mystery?" he spat. "It's not that hard to puzzle out. That woman was selfish and cruel. I don't know what could possess you to want to help that witch."

When the confusion settled over the group, I pulled out the locket and explained the vision I'd had of Raife blackmailing the dean and the poor kidnapped girl.

"That's a lot to get into, especially after all she's already put you through," Griffin sighed, agreeing with my brother that it was a bad idea.

I squeezed my hand around the locket. "Last night, I finally saw who Dean Goeffe really was. Can we all honestly say we wouldn't do the same in her situation?"

"Goeffe should have known better," Atlas rebutted. "She knew about Raife, about what he was capable of. She got what she deserved."

I glared at my brother. "She didn't deserve to _die_, Atlas. She may have made some poor decisions, but she wasn't in control of the situation. And this girl isn't to blame for any of that!"

Beckett raised his hand to stop the argument. "There's plenty left to unpack from that night, but what matters most, at the moment, is that it's over." When he lifted his head, I noticed a shadow across the side of his face, but I didn't really think much of it since I'd had other things on my mind.

My brother and I sighed and nodded. "Harrington's right," Atlas agreed. "Raife is dead and gone, and at the end of the day, that's all I care about."

"And all _I_ care about is the rumbling in my stomach telling me it's time for breakfast," Zeph interjected with a large grin as he patted his stomach.

My jaw quivered as my own stomach reminded me rather loudly that I, too, could've used some grub. I crossed my arms over my abdomen and leant forward into my knees. When I looked up, everyone's eyes were on me. "I agree with Zeph, if it wasn't obvious." Snickers broke out across the group as we all readied ourselves for our first meal as free folk.

Injured and hobbling, Atlas and I borrowed each other's remaining strength to follow our friends to the dining hall.

"So, you and Shreya," I whispered, raising an eyebrow. "I never would have guessed," I lied.

"Shove it," he growled, a pink tint rising on his cheekbones.

"You _like_ her," I teased like a grade schooler. "Is that where you kept disappearin' to at the gala?" I wagged my brows.

"Weren't you hungry? I could give you a knuckle sandwich," he clenched his fist and held it up to my chin playfully. I laughed and pushed open the door.

"There he is!"

"First, he wins the championship game, then he saves the world. No biggie."

"Can I have an autograph?"

"Bloody hell," I muttered. Beside me, Orien recoiled from the abundance of cheers, people, and noise radiating from the dining hall at us. Applause broke out as soon as we entered the room. _Shite! They saw Atlas!_ Then my arylu did what Atlas and I clearly wished we could do and vanished into the ether. "This is more than a little…"

"Overwhelming. Yeah. No kidding," Atlas finished for me.

Shreya threw her arms around both of us. "The whole school knows about what happened, by the way," she beamed.

"Obviously, but how?" I asked, still slack-jawed at all the attention. "All that only happened a few hours ago."

"Actually, it was about a week ago," Zeph's voice came from behind me. _A week?!_ "When Swan woke up, she told the other professors what happened," he explained. "And I haven't exactly been keeping quiet, myself."

"You've become celebrities overnight!" Shreya cheered. "Not, like, _my_ level of celebrity, but Kardashian tier at the very least."

My brother and I shared a look. "I don't want to be famous, nor do I want all this attention." _Raife is gone now… Atlas can be seen, right? This is fine…_ My mind reeled, trying to grasp the concept of all our secrets being out to the entire school. After keeping quiet and sneaking around for so long, it was a bit bizarre. I curled into myself. "I can't imagine anythin' worse than havin' all these eyes on me…"

Atlas nodded briefly, feeling that way more than I was. "In the past month, I've talked to more people than I have in the past… ever, and to be honest, it's been awful. I'd rather be back in the mirror dimension than be the centre of attention," his lip curled in an anxious distaste. "I didn't walk through hell for the applause at the end."

Shreya looped her arm around Atlas' with a comforting smile. "Don't worry, you two. If things get overwhelming, Zeph and I will step in to help you. We were _made_ for the limelight, after all." She led us over to a table in the centre of the dining hall. It was the only one available, which was frustrating. I'd gotten to the point where looking over my shoulder wasn't just a habit.

We all sat down and tried to start a conversation without people leaning in to congratulate or tell us how cool we were. Beckett sat across from me, looking as nervous as my brother in the crowd. With better light, I could see the cause of the shadow I'd seen before. He had a red scar, shaped like a bird's footprint, running from his left temple through his eyebrow and up to his hairline.

"Beck, what's…," I gestured to my own face to finish my query.

He shielded his forehead with his hand shyly, trying to brush his hair down, but it kept popping back up into the wave we all knew him by. "The Menders can only do so much."

Before I could tell him that it didn't look as bad as he thought, a goat-like vibrato rang through my ears from behind me. "Ah! Percy, Atlas! I'm glad to see the two of you up and about," he grinned, holding his hand out to my brother beside me. On the other side of me, Aster squeezed my hand tightly. Her idol had approached, and she was clearly nervous. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Atlas, and it's a relief that you're in one piece, like your brother."

"Um… yeah… Great to be, uh, whole," he replied, awkwardly taking the hand.

When Kontos had let my brother's hand retreat to his side, his gaze flittered between the two of us. "The new dean would like a word with you two. If you'd just follow me, please." Atlas and I nodded and waved a brief goodbye to our friends before following the professor through the crowd of whispering students. He looked over his shoulder, his brows furrowed with worry. _What is there to be concerned about? Who is the new dean? _When he spoke, his voice was low. "What the two of you went through this year was more than anyone should ever have to face… and at your age…"

I frowned. "You couldn't have known, Professor. I don't think any of us could have predicted that this was how things would turn out."

He let out a heavy breath. "Still, I must say… I'm quite impressed with how you handled yourself, young man. That goes for both of you."

Atlas snickered and elbowed me in the side. "Kontos is right. Even I have to admit, the way you handled yourself during this was impressive. I thought for sure you'd get yourself killed."

I glared over at him. "I'm gonna choose to take that as a compliment."

He rolled his eyes. "It is, begrudgingly. Despite being a complete moron, you weren't the total liability I thought you'd be."

"Oh, gee. Thanks," I threw my arm on his shoulder and pushed my weight on him playfully. "Figured if I didn't pull my weight, you'd kill me if Raife didn't."

With too straight of a face, he said, "You're not wrong." I scowled at him as he pushed my arm off of him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… Even after such a short time, you're _almost_ as skilled as me. _Almost_."

"Tosh," I retorted. "You were lyin' down for most the job. I easily have you beat," I teased. We both sniggered, and I actually got him to smile. I threw my arm around his neck. "Thanks, brov. That means a lot, especially comin' from you."

"Don't get used to it. This 'positive feedback' shtick ain't gonna be a regular thing," he smirked.

"Wouldn't expect anythin' else."

Kontos stopped for a moment just before we reached the professor's table and turned around, sadness still in his eyes. "When Aster found me and told me what happened, I was worried I was going to lose my favourite student…"

"Are professors allowed to have favourites?" I smirked.

With a gentler expression and a kind smile, he said, "Don't tell anyone, but we do tend to lean towards certain promising students." He straightened himself and brightened up. "I see now that there was no cause for alarm. I've had high hopes for you since we first met during your placement exam, and I'm proud to be proven right."

I laughed. "I don't die that easily, Professor."

"And I am pleased to see that is true. I'm much too excited to see what you'll accomplish next year," he beamed and turned on his hoof to lead us up the step to the professor's table. "Dean Swan, the twins, as requested," he gave a curt bow and took his seat.

"Wait… Dean _Swan_?" I let my eyes drift from my professor to the smiling woman with frizzy hair sat in the middle of the long table.

"_You're_ the new dean?" Atlas sounded just as shocked as I was.

She waved her hand like a foul stench had filled the room. "Oh, please, don't be so formal! It's not like I _asked_ for this blasted position!" I gave her a once over, seeing that she looked healthy, but had to double take when I saw the blanket covering her lap.

"Professor…"

"No need to worry about that, Perseus," she reached across the table for my hand. "That's the magic of-," she quickly covered her mouth with her other hand and motioned for us to come around to the other side. When we did so, she leant in to whisper, "That's the greatest perk of blood magic. My leg will be good as new with time. Just don't tell anyone I said so." She giggled as we stood up straight. I let out a relieved sigh, but fought the urge to shudder. I'd felt guilty for her injury, but it was nice to know that it wasn't permanent. That said, it reminded me of Raife's arm and truly freaked me out a bit. "But enough about me," she beamed. "I was actually hoping to speak with the two of you privately. How about we step outside for a moment?"

"Please," Atlas shot a quick glance at the crowded room. "I'll push your chair."

Swan's wheelchair was more like a hover chair. It had been enchanted to glide smoothly over the ground, allowing her to ease down the step effortlessly. The real struggle was getting to the doors without more people trying to speak with us on our way out.

When we reached the corridor and closed the giant door behind us, she collected herself with a sigh and a nod. "Now that everything's out in the open, I think there are still a few missing pieces to the puzzle I should fill in for you."

"You're tellin' me," I crossed my arms and leant against the wall. "I've been wonderin' a few things for a while and I don't feel I've gotten any answers at all. We could start with _why_ all this happened in the _first_ place." I knew the general things. Raife wanted everlasting power, as all villains do, so he did some research and came to the conclusion that he needed twins for his goal to meet fruition, but during the experimental phase, he discovered he needed babies and further that he needed kids with some kind of mystical energy about them, which is where my understanding stopped.

She sighed and nodded again. "Shortly after you were born, your parents began to hear rumours that Raife was kidnapping and killing twins," she began with no nonsense or diversions, which was refreshing for once. "Your mother knew that you two were the twins he wanted, and she was determined to keep you from him. To throw him off your trail, your parents decided to split you up as babies, leaving you in the care of their trusted friends from university."

I held up my hand to stop her. "Rewind. Raife said that we were special, and you just told us that our mum knew. What makes us so different from all the other kids he slaughtered?"

"Because of the very specific conditions of your birth," she explained. "Perseus was born a minute before midnight, and Atlas a minute after it. That made you, Perseus, a child of the sun, born before the darkest time of night, and it made you, Atlas, a child of the moon, born after it," her soft eyes looked between the two of us.

"Ha!" I laughed. "I'm older! I knew it!"

Atlas rolled his eyes. "Somehow that seems just wrong," he shook his head. "But wait," Atlas put his hands together in front of his face before sliding down the wall to sit on his ankles, deep in thought. "Light and reflection, the two components of refraction," he thought aloud. "That's what Raife said in his lab." After a second, his expression became hard and he slammed a fist against the wall beside him. "I used to ask my caretakers why he was after us, but they said they'd tell me when I was older. Then the 'why' just stopped mattering to me. I had a brother I needed to protect, and that was all I cared about."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "So even _your_ caretakers didn't tell you the whole story." I crossed my arms again and looked off down the corridor. I scoffed. "Hell, if I hadn't ended up at Penderghast, I would've been completely useless when they found me!" It was an odd feeling, being angry with my mum. I understood _why_ she chose not to tell me and why she raised me without magic, but it was the _wrong_ choice. "It doesn't make much sense that my mum didn't teach me about what was comin' or to defend myself with a literal _twin murderer_ after me!"

"You're telling me," Atlas hissed next to me. "I don't know what the hell she thought she was doing, but it wasn't protecting you."

"Oi! That's still my mum your talkin' 'bout!" I snapped, spinning my head around to glare at him. "She may have messed up, but she was tryin' to let me have a life!"

"Not a very long one, obviously," Atlas retorted, glaring back up at me.

Before I could retaliate, Swan held up her hand. "Boys!" she scolded. Before she continued, she let out a saddened sigh. "Your birth parents went to face Raife, but when we lost contact with them, we assumed the worst. Each of your caretakers were _supposed _to train you for when Raife came for you, but he disappeared, and many thought he was gone for good."

I let out the breath I'd been holding, finally understanding. "I get it. Mum thought that I'd be safe after he went off the map, so she raised me Attuneless." _She was just tryin' to protect my innocence._ "But she still tried to keep me hidden. I was home-schooled until after she passed away. Raife only found me because I was stupid enough to apply for uni."

"She was married when she took you," Swan frowned. "Do you know what happened at all to her husband, Perseus?"

I shook my head. "I didn't even know she'd been married until Atlas first showed up in your office. She never mentioned anythin' about him and we don't keep a lot of family photos. He must've died when I was still quite young."

She frowned and looked down at her hands. "That is a shame. David was such a charming man, good natured. Poor Nancy," she shook her head solemnly.

"My caretakers told me that if anything ever went wrong, we could be sent to you here at Penderghast, where you'd keep us safe as a last resort," Atlas looked down at his hands, then Swan, then me. "When Raife killed them, I went to find you, Percy. I tried to send us both to Penderghast through the mirror in your apartment, but something went wrong. You came through, but I was trapped in the mirror dimension." I frowned, knowing the hard times he'd faced while trapped.

Swan lowered her head. "When you showed up on campus, Perseus, I enrolled you and made sure you had a place to stay. I assumed your caretakers were dead."

"You assumed correctly," I bit my cheek.

"I knew that _something_ must have gone wrong for you to end up here," she continued. "I didn't want to shock you with the whole story at once, so I tried to train you while keeping you safe, but that clearly didn't help." Her lip trembled and her eyes began to gloss over.

I still had questions, things that weren't completely explained. Then there were added questions from new developments and information. "Somethin' I don't understand, how did Atlas and I get that wicked power up we used to beat Raife? We were completely helpless with all of our magic bein' sucked out, but durin' the eclipse, we were suddenly powerful." I looked down at my hands, still able to imagine the tingling sensation that ran up my arms from my fingertips.

"That is strange," Swan agreed, shocked at hearing this for the first time. "Perhaps it was due to the timing of the event. The eclipse reached its peak at midnight."

"The mischievous hour," Atlas added.

"Raife's spell was set to complete _at_ midnight. It seems something triggered a reversal of the effect right at that perfect moment," Swan surmised.

"Our hands touched," I offered, wondering if that had something to do with it.

Swan beamed. "Your magical energies must have sought each other out, leaking some power that caused the machine to backfire."

"And that's the power of Twinship," I joked. Atlas scoffed, but Swan fought off a giggle.

She gave a warm smile. "When I awoke that morning in the medical ward, my first thought was of you, Perseus. I was worried you were unprepared for Raife's power," she paused, a flicker of worry vanishing from her eyes. "But it's clear I shouldn't have been so concerned. You've only ever proven yourself capable, time and time again."

I gave her a comforting grin. "I wouldn't have handled nearly as well without your guidance, Prof- I mean, _Dean_ Swan."

She snorted. "Please. We're beyond honorifics at this point, and the title 'Dean Swan' makes me want to retch. Just call me Swan, or Evelyn, if you wish." After taking a moment to re-compose herself, she said, "What I'm trying to say is that you've more than earned my trust. I'm sorry for not being completely honest with you this year."

"Let's just agree that there should be no more secrets, yeah?" I proposed. "I think we've seen where that leads. They do say honesty is the best policy." We all nodded in agreement.

A loud voice boomed out of the dining hall and echoed around the corridor. "Your attention, please. We're about to announce this year's award for top of the class!"

"Ah, we best be getting back. The acting dean shouldn't miss a moment like this," Swan grinned.

I helped Atlas to his feet and smirked. "We should go in, too. _Someone_ has to tease Beckett about his overachiever award."

Atlas pushed Swan back up to the long table before joining me and the rest of the group at our table. We turned our chairs toward Professor Englund as he stood at the podium, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "As is tradition, it is time to recognise the most promising students at Penderghast for their academic accomplishments. It is thus with great pleasure that I announce the top of this year's freshman class," he beamed and held up a small notecard. We all looked to Beckett, who was nervously fidgeting in his seat.

I nudged his harm. "I don't know why you're worried. You've got this in the-"

"Perseus Miller!" rang out across the room, echoing through the silence of the anticipating students. "Please come forward and accept your class medallion." I froze.

"Damn! Percy's got brains!" Zeph pushed me out of my chair by my shoulders. "Go, Perc!"

"Great job, Percy!" Griffin applauded.

"Wait, _what_?" I looked around, seeing all the eyes on me before cheering broke out around the room. Zeph, Shreya, Griffin, and Aster were all beaming with delight and clapping. "How…" I looked to Beckett apologetically, like I'd taken something from him.

"How thrilling!" Aster squeezed my arm before releasing me to claim the prize. "You must explain this award to me later, Percy."

"Hang on!" Shreya grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down, nearly landing on her lap, and pulled out her magi-phone to start snapping pictures. "Let me get a pic for my Instattuned! I _so_ get bestie bragging rights."

I looked to my brother for help, but he was having too much fun watching me suffer. "Congrats for being a nerd."

I scoffed and pulled myself back to my feet. The only way this award would make sense would be if Beckett were distracted consistently and I managed to soar passed him because I was struggling to learn as much as possible to stay alive.

Beckett stood and straightened his blazer then offered his hand to me. "I know I should probably be furious that you won the award instead of me, but to tell you the truth, you deserve it." I took his hand slowly, sceptically looking him over. _What alternate universe have I fallen into? I think he might get back at me later for it._ "I know when I've been outdone, but you'd better watch yourself next year. I'm going to redouble my efforts."

I snorted. "Don't kill yourself. I can smell those smokestacks burning from here."

"Don't be ridiculous," he smirked. "My brain runs strictly on an organic, environmentally friendly power source."

"That doesn't help your case, you spod," I teased.

His smirk turned devilish for a second. "I'm sure you've lost the privilege to call me that, at this point. Now, go get your medal, keener." I felt pride. He'd made so much progress. It only took him an entire year to develop a sense of humour.

I shyly crept up to the podium, all eyes on me, and stood next to Professor Englund. "Congratulations, Percy. It is my honour to present you with this class medallion," he grinned as he pinned a small purple and gold ribbon on my chest. The medal was a golden Penderghast crest with a forked purple tail hanging beneath it. "Percy, you are, without a doubt, the most talented student Penderghast has seen in over a decade."

I scratched my head nervously. "I dunno about that, Professor. All I did was try."

"No need to be modest, Percy!" he patted my shoulder. "I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award." _Ouch… I hope Beckett didn't hear that… I don't need more trouble._

"I can," I mumbled as I started back towards my seat with a roar of applause surrounding me.

A few more awards were given out for the other classes, but none of my friends got them, since the only person not a first year in our group was Griffin and he had been preoccupied all year, not to mention he wasn't the type to aim for the "greatest achiever" award. Once the dining hall settled down a bit, we all got to talking.

"So, I was wondering," Zeph started, "Percy, Atlas, do you guys have summer plans now that you're both, y'know, aware of each other's existence?"

"Hell yeah," I beamed. "We're goin' campin'!" I threw my arm on his shoulder. "Nothin' better for brotherly bondin' like livin' in the woods for two months." I'd actually thought a lot about the subject. Now that my uni flat wasn't mine anymore and neither of us had anywhere in particular to return to, I'd been wondering where we'd even go over the summer, that is if we lived to see it. Now that we could actually think about it, I'd have to put some real thought into it. Until then, camping seemed the best interim decision, since we'd both enjoy it anyway.

"That sounds great, actually," my brother agreed. "We could go hiking, pitch tents, bathe in the river at dawn, hunt for our food, fight off packs of scavengers looking to make off with our kill… It's good combat experience."

I stared blankly at him. "You had me until huntin' and fightin'… I was thinkin' more sammies and breathin' in that fresh woodland air…" He stared back at me, determined. "But sparin' sounds good, sure. Shreya!" I looked to her for a change in subject. "What are your plans for the break?"

Trying to stop herself from laughing, she said, "Well, in between binging Tuneless TV shows, I've got ideas for some spa products that I've been _dying_ to put together, but I'd like to visit everyone a bit, if you're up for it." Her words spoke to all of us, but her eyes pinned Atlas alone. When he blushed and sank down a bit, she looked to her right at Beckett.

He beamed, ready to share his plan. "I _was_ going to get a head start on the reading lists for my second-year classes, but my family is dragging me to Hawai'i."

"What a shame," I shook my head, rolling my eyes.

"I'll be studying, too, sort of," Griffin said. "I'm doing fieldwork in Tornado Alley for my major. I'll finally see some real stormdrivers in action!"

I leant across the table, eyes wide. "Listen, Griff, you didn't survive a fight with an old, scary murderer just to die in a bloody tornado this summer." He shrugged.

"Well, _I'm_ staying safe this summer," Zeph interjected. "My aunts are taking Abuela, Zi, and I on a cruise, so I'm gonna eat, sunbathe, and scuba dive all summer."

"Oh, going on a cruise sounds fun!" Aster cheered, filling the air with her sweet, excited scent. "Though, I'll have to be content with just Penn Square, since I'll be running the store all summer."

"Well, we do have a date or several to plan," I smiled at her, feeling my cheeks getting a bit pink. She nuzzled into my arm and squealed happily.

"Wait!" Zeph stood up, leaning against the table. "I know a way for us to find out for _sure_ what our summers will hold!" Without another word, he sprinted across the hall to the buffet line. When he came back, he had two trays filled with small bowls.

"Prophecy O's?" I chuckled as he placed a bowl in front of everyone.

"Oh! I've heard of these!" Aster sat up and stared down at her cereal. "I've always wanted to watch them show me my future!"

"Don't tell me you _actually_ believe that a breakfast cereal can foretell your future," Beckett scoffed.

"Oh! Mine's moving!" Shreya jumped excitedly. "It says…," she watched the pieces rearrange themselves until they showed three dollar signs in a row. She rolled her eyes. "I already knew I was rich, so this feels like a complete waste."

"Mine's next!" Griffin announced. We all leant over the table to see his bowl as the letters formed out the words 'storm warning'. "That doesn't sound good…"

I stared intently at him. "Griff, I'm _tellin_' you, do _not_ get yourself killed in a bloody tornado."

Aster tapped my arm, refocusing me onto her bowl. "Mine says 'branch out'. Perhaps I'll continue to improve my branching." _I don't think that's what that means, but okay._

"Or explore new horizons, if you know what I mean," Zeph nudged her, winking obviously whilst looking between the two of us. She blushed, but didn't say anything on the subject.

"I suppose I'm next in this ridiculous farce," Beckett said coolly. "Let's see. 'Who are you?'" he furrowed his brow. "Did this bowl of cereal just tell me to do some soul-searching? Hogwash! Complete nonsense!"

We all snickered, but I made the next call. "Atlas' is spellin' out somethin'!" It was a longer message than I'd expected.

"Bewar-," Zeph began to read, but before any of us could see the rest of the message, Atlas shoved his spoon in the bowl and stirred it around.

"Come on, Atlas! I was tryin' to read that," I objected.

He shrugged. "What? I'm hungry. Besides, I'm with Harrington. Fortune-telling is for suckers. Whatever happens, I'll deal with it as it comes." He nodded over to my bowl where letters had begun to take shape.

I squinted down at it and cocked my head as I read the message. "Know no bounds…" _What is _that_ supposed to mean?_

Atlas snorted. "Cryptic nonsense, if you ask me. And now your cereal is soggy."

"Well, I didn't ask you," I huffed, shoving my spoon into my mouth.

"I'll bet my fortune is _especially _detailed, considering how long it took to come together," Zeph cheered, gazing down at his bowl. After a long wait, he read, "Bucket." We all erupted into laughter. "Hey, I must have gotten Beckett's bowl on accident!" That comment made us lose what little collective we had left.

"Very funny," Beckett rolled his eyes.

We ate and joked and chatted for a while that morning, just enjoying each other's company without the threat of impending doom. It was rather relaxing, and much appreciated. After a while, the dining hall had almost completely cleared out.

"Griff, you're not finishin' your food? That's not like you. Is somethin' up?" I asked, observing his half-eaten Prophecy O's.

He grinned. "Oh, I'm not finished. I'm saving room. I heard about a Tuneless food cart that arrives in Penn Square at the end of every school year. I'm going to check it out after this."

I tapped my ear a few times to make sure it was working correctly. "I'm sorry, did you say _Tuneless_ food?"

He nodded. "Exactly. No Yorba eggs, no dragon links, just Tuneless classics like… uh… well, I guess we'll find out!" he cheered.

I stood up swiftly. "We should go. Now." I was _determined_ to eat some _real_ food for the first time in many moons.

"I _have_ always wanted to try 'marshed-mellows'," Beckett agreed.

"Beck…"

"I hope they have some Tuneless candies!" Zeph stood up, too. "I love 'jellied beans' and 'gobsmackers' especially."

"Ooh, I love those, too!" Shreya beamed.

"Guys…"

"'Jellied beans'? 'Gobsmakers'?" Aster's smile couldn't have gotten any wider. "I love Tuneless food, but I've never had those before!"

I sighed, giving up. "That's not what any of those things are actually called, but I'll save that for another time. Baby steps."s

"If they have pizza rolls, I'm so down," Atlas stood up and started toward the door, his hand shoved in his pockets.

"Alright! Let's go have breakfast number two!" Zeph cheered, following my brother.

I snickered at their excitement. "I'm excited to see how you all react to eating something that doesn't look like a giant eyeball or _scream_ when you eat it."

"It's a good thing we'll have you for guidance, Percy," Griffin stood to walk with me. "Otherwise, none of us would know what to get."

I stopped for a moment. "Actually, mates, would you mind if we head back to the flat for a minute?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Griffin turned around to watch me with a bit of concern on his face.

I chuckled a bit. "I just don't really want to go to town with all of these bandages on me."

Atlas looked down at himself. "If it's been a week, I agree," he said. "The healers should be done with us by now."

When we re-entered the dorm, Atlas and I stepped into the bathroom to look ourselves over and remove what bandages we could. For the most part, most of my deeper scratches had healed and only left a few small scars, but my shoulder, which'd had a good-sized hole in it, now had a good-sized scar sealing it up. It was shaped like a firework burst or a star, maybe, and took up my entire shoulder blade, overlapping just a bit with my birthmark.

"That's just terrible," I mumbled. "Now I'll never be able to go to the beach with this sort of thing," I joked.

"You're telling me," Atlas chortled, staring down at his thigh, which had a lightning shaped scar from the gash he'd received from being beaten down multiple times by Raife. "Does this make me look like I fought in a war?" he asked, begging for a reason to look cool.

I shrugged. "Ya kinda did," I said, looking him over. "Should we see what's under there?" I asked, pointing to his headwrap. "Maybe you'll have a badarse scar over your eye, like a comic book villain." He smirked as I began unwrapping his head. "Oh, Atlas…"

"I still have my eye, right?" he asked, now sounding a bit concerned.

"Yeah, but…" I trailed off, "it's not cool."

He sucked his teeth then pushed me out of the way to see himself in the mirror. He did have a scar on the right side of his face, but it didn't cover his eye. It was a sort of L-shape coming down his forehead and jutting off towards the bridge of his nose. The Menders had shaved off part of his eyebrow to work on him, so he looked ridiculous. "Oh, come on," he groaned, running his hand down his face. "My beautiful face is ruined."

"It's… it's not that bad," I tried, but I was snickering a bit.

"No," he glared at me, "this is horrible, but at least now your friends will be able to tell us apart."

I laughed louder, but stopped when his smile fell. "What is it?" I looked closer to him and realised he'd finally opened his eye.

"I can't see," he said, his brow furrowing as he tried to look around.

"That's to be expected," I said. "Your eye's been wrapped up for a week."

He pushed himself off the counter and huffed. "Whatever. It's fine." He reached for the long bandage I'd taken off his head and draped it over his face.

"What are you doin'?" I asked.

"If it doesn't work there's no point in showing it off," he grumbled.

I snickered. "You just don't want Shreya seein' that scar, do you?"

He went a bit pink and looked away. "Shut up," he huffed, tying the bandage in the back like a pirate's bandana turned into a make-shift eyepatch instead of wrapping it back up professionally.

"Now you look even more ridiculous," I rolled my eyes. "Do what you want," I chuckled while I cleaned up my mess. "Just don't go around tellin' people you lost it in the fight."

When we came back out to the common room, Zeph looked us over. "That's much better," he smiled. "Now you don't look like mummies anymore."

"We're a bit dinged up, but the Menders did a pretty good job, I'd say," I shrugged, looking myself over again. "Few new scars, but that's good for my reputation, I think," I joked.

Shreya ran a finger down the bandage Atlas had across his face while he puffed out his chest to look like a battle-hardened warrior. "Is something wrong with your eye?" she asked, very concerned.

Before my brother could answer, I said, "Nah, he's just bein' a little babber," causing him to deflate tremendously.

When we made it to Penn Square, a regular, non-magical, completely normal food truck was parked on the side of the road. I could feel the drool. I practically sprinted to 'Tina's Tuneless Treats'.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Aster cooed. "I can't restrain myself any longer!" she ran next to me and bounced in place in front of the window. It didn't take her long to order one of just about everything. She had sweets, chips, and a large corn dog. "Thish ish dewishish!" she cheered with her mouth full.

I laughed. "Did you plan ahead or just order whatever you saw?"

When she choked down the next few bites, she beamed. "Oh, I come here at the end of every year. It's a great opportunity for me to try rare Tuneless delicacies!" After taking her next bite, she pulled a small notebook out from a fold in her skirt and began to write in it, a vine holding both the pad and pen.

"Are… are you takin' notes?" I asked, watching her brilliant multitasking ability.

She nodded. "I take taste notes!"

"Alright, Percy, all this food Aster's holding is making me hungry," Griffin patted my shoulder before stepping up to the window.

"Yeah, you're the expert here," Zeph stepped up next to him. "What should we get?"

I shook my head, bewildered by their amazement of simple food items. It made me wonder if my excitement about dragon links was taken this way by them all year. "That's easy. Get the stew." Nodding like obedient children, the two of them ordered.

Shreya squinted at the menu and her eyes went wide. "Alright, so… I know what corn is, and I know what a dog is, but a _corn dog_… that _can't_ be what I think it is, right?"

I laughed louder than I'd tried to. The image of an actual dog on a stick was just too funny. "The shorthand of it, it's a sausage wrapped in bread made with corn instead of flour. It'll make sense once you try it." She took the risk and ordered.

"Percy! Is this… Did they make this bowl out of-," Zeph marvelled at the stew.

"Bread? Yes. It's a bread bowl," I smirked.

"It's… it's genius! _Genius_!" he cheered. _I grew up with it and I still feel that way._

"This 'stew'. It's so _good_!" Griffin looked like he'd tasted chocolate for the first time. He ripped off a chunk of the bowl and dipped it into the broth. "_This is the best part_."

Shreya held her corndog in the air to inspect it. "No offence, Percy, but if this is what Tuneless food is like, I'm glad I was born magical."

I smi. s"Just try it, princess."

She tentatively took a bite out of the side, not the top, and her eyes widened immediately. "I'm still not sure I want to know where the 'dog' part of this comes from, but one thing I do know is that it's _really good_."

I chuckled and ordered some stew for myself. When Atlas came over, I said, "Sorry, no pizza rolls, but they have corndogs. If you like American food that much, it'll taste about the same if you add tomato sauce." When he shrugged, I added, "Shreya seems to like it. It'll give you somethin' to talk about." Without another word or glance, he purchased two corndogs. A line began to form behind us, so we all moved to sit on a low stone wall to finish our food. "So, what do you all think of Tuneless food?"

Beckett looked down at his empty paper plate in deep thought. "I'd previously thought Tuneless cuisine was simply a pale, bland counterpart to Attuned cuisine, but I see now that I was mistaken. Tuneless cuisine is… simple in comparison, but it has a charm all its own."

"Just wait 'till you try curry," I smirked, knowing what to bring as a gift at the beginning of the new term. "It's nice to eat somethin' that doesn't scream when you cut into it every now and then."

Shreya gasped. "There's really no Tuneless dish that screams when you eat it? Not a single one?"

I shrugged. "Well, to each his own, but where I'm from, I'm sure that's illegal." Atlas knew what I meant, but I had to clarify for the rest of them. "It'd be all over the news if a piece of pie started screamin' upon your first bite."

"Who knew Tuneless food could be so interesting?" Zeph mused. "What other Tuneless stuff do you like? What's your favourite Tuneless thing to do?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, there are lot of things I used to do. Battle of the Bands, goin' to the cinema, fishin', readin' superhero comic books."

"Super… hero?" Beckett inquired. "What is that? A better version of a… normal hero?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. Superheroes are people who have powers, like x-ray vision, super-strength, invisibility, or flight. Well, save Batman… He's just rich and has too much free time."

"I'm a Batman?" Shreya asked.

I shrugged again, finding this subject harder to explain than I'd thought. "Batman knows martial arts and has a ton of gadgets used to fight crime as well. It's not really that simple."

"Superheroes sound pretty lame, if you ask me," Atlas said. "Attuned can do all of those powers you described and more with spells."

I pursed my lips. "That's true, but superheroes always have some sort of conflict. Could be internal, could be a nemesis, could be an evil bad guy. It's all about the character development. Well, that and the ace fight scenes."

He smirked. "Alright, the fighting part I think I could get behind."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course." I thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, we're all sort of super now, yeah? We survived a massive battle, developed our characters, and dealt with internal conflict. That's pretty amazin'."

"So, does that mean we could make money if we wrote this all down in a book?" Zeph pondered aloud.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

Griffin stood up and stretched, patting his stomach with satisfaction. "I dunno about the rest of you, but I want something sweet after all the food we've had this morning."

"I saw some afters at Tina's," I offered.

"That's a good idea, Percy. I'll be right back," he jogged back over to the stand and returned moments later with two snow cones. "These looked so good, I just couldn't resist. Tina said they're called snow-"

"Snow cones!" Zeph leapt off the wall, eyes wide with excitement. "Griffin, you're a genius!"

"Zeph, are you feelin' well?" I asked. "The heat's not gotten to you, has it?"

Ignoring my concern entirely, he balled his fists excitedly. "Alright, everyone! I just had a fantastic idea. I'm going to need your help, but the results will be glorious."

Atlas sighed. "Another fantastic idea from the brains of this operation… Just what I need after spending a long night fighting a madman to the death."

Shreya agreed. "Zeph, dear, no offence, but I've learned to distrust your 'fantastic ideas'."

"Oh, come on, mates. Let's hear him out," I countered. "His gala prank was fun for all of us, remember?" I turned to by best mate with an encouraging smile. "What do you need us to do, Zeph?"

He took a deep breath and stood close to us, like his big plan was a secret mission that the locals need not know about. "I'm going to conjure a pillar of water from this fountain. Can you guys use a fire spell to turn it into steam?"

Beckett snorted, nearly choking on his food. "As long as Percy swears not to aim his spell at me again."

"Not even for the good ol' memories?" I joked.

He shook his head. "Most certainly not."

"If you and Buzzkillington are about done," Zeph threw his wrists out like a magician about to show off a new trick, "I need some space." We all shifted to afford him room to work as he faced the fountain, his feet planted firmly on the cobbles. He took a deep breath before raising his hands into the air. With stiff, concentrated movements, he flung his wrists up and a pillar of water shot up into the air. The people around us noticed rather swiftly and began to gasp in awe and confusion. In a matter of seconds, the water towered well over our heads, spraying a mist down on us. "Alright, guys! Go for it!" As planned, Beckett, Shreya, and I began throwing a volley of small fireballs into the column, creating steam that filled the square with an intense fog. "Here goes," Zeph let out a quick and heavy breath as he closed his eyes to concentrate. With a complex hand sign, a chill filled the air, freezing the steam into snowflakes that fell gently down onto the stone roads. Within moments, Penn Square looked as if it'd been hit by a blizzard.

I was amazed. It was quite the sight. "Zeph, the gala prank was brilliant, but this is next level. De Vinci has boat shoes and you, mate… you have this. Bloody brilliant."

"Is it snowing?" a first year near the Thief supply shop exclaimed. "But it's not Winter Week!"

"Snow?" the guard on the step outside the club extended his hand as a few flakes fell into his armoured palm. "Hey, boss, does that mean I get to go home early?" A rather harsh denial of his request soon followed, making the guard growl in disappointment.

Orien popped out of the ether and threw himself into the snow, rolling around on his back like he'd been dying to play in it for years. Atlas squatted down next to him and rubbed his belly. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… that was really impressive, Zephyr."

We all looked back at our new hero, who was hunched over on his knees panting. "I… can't believe that worked! You know what this means?" he looked between all of us. When none of us answered, he shoved both of his hands in the snow. When he stood, he bunged a hardy snowball right passed my ear.

"Oh, now you've done it," I smirked, picking up a snowball of my own and had a go at my brother… who caught it in mid-air without even looking and crushed it in his hand. I was slack-jawed.

"I hope you understand what you've just done," he said coldly.

"I was hopin' to start a fun little round of snowball fightin', but now I have a bad feelin'," I could feel my heart racing. I was about to die. Raife was one thing, but my brother was truly terrifying.

"This is serious. You've just declared _war_," he smirked, but not until after he spoke. With one swift motion, he punched the ground, making Orien jump up and out of the way, and sent several packed snowballs shooting up out of the ground and into everyone's shoulders.

"You rotten cheatin' bastard!" I yelled, grabbing a handful of snow, tackling him, and shoving it in his face. Orien pounced around us, not sure which one of us to protect from the other. He ended up licking both of us until we stopped wrestling each other.

The entire scene was a free-for-all. Griffin shoved snow down the back of Shreya's blouse, making her squeal. "Cold! So cold!"

"That's what you get for starting a fight with Griffin Langley!" he cheered, dodging as she nearly threw her elbow into his ribcage. Atlas, hearing her cries but still being pinned down by his superior brother, hammer-fisted the ground, sending a barrage of snowballs into Griffin's back.

"What a hero," I teased, earning myself a glare and a clump of snow to the face.

"Using magic is cheating!" sssssGusriffin surrendered, running away from Shreya.

I laughed. "You can't blame him. He doesn't have depth perception!" I wailed, but had to stop chuckling long enough to duck under the very well-aimed throw my brother had sent my way.

Beckett tried to stay out of it, lingering close to the wall, leaning from side to side to dodge stray shots aimed at our friends. When I had a free shot, I chucked one at him, landing square in his jaw. "You- why?!" he huffed, eyes narrowed at me.

"You're no fun, Beck. Join in the festivities," I joked, throwing a handful of powder in the air like it was Marty Gras glitter.

Still glaring at me, he leant over and gathered some snow in his hand then he used his unfairly well-built arm to lob it across the square at me at a rather impressive speed. "Ballocks," I mumbled, bracing for impact as it hit me in the shoulder. "I thought you were dangerous back in class with that fireball, but this is a whole new low," I scoffed, pretending to fall backwards in pain. "I'll remember this forever!" I cried playfully as I faked my death.

"Your fears were well-founded," he smirked proudly before sitting back down on the wall casually.

"You're such a prat," I whispered, still lying in the snow, holding my shoulder in mock agony.

Just after high noon, we were walking around campus, enjoying our last day at school and reminiscing about past activities. We were in the square between the Metal-Att and the higher Earth Sciences buildings, surrounded by blue flamed braziers.

"I don't know if it's just me or the nice weather, but this is the most relaxin' day we've had in a long while," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as a cool breeze blew my plaid shirt back, airing out my torso.

"Turns out, when you don't have a crazed madman pursuing you, you feel more relaxed," my brother chimed in, completely monotone. "Who knew?"

Aster, who'd been wrapped around my arm, beamed. "I always feel relaxed on nice days like this. When the trees and flowers and grass are this happy, it's hard to be worried about anything."

Orien ran around, weaving through our legs before landing sideways in the grass to roll around lazily. "It's not just us," I chuckled.

"Ah, Ms. D'Yew!" came a deep, warm voice we were all too familiar with. "Just who I wanted to see." Kontos had appeared from the main door of the Earth Sciences building and was making his way toward us, towering over the group when he came near.

"Professor Kontos!" Aster looked down at herself and patted down a fold in her white, lace dress. "You were looking for me? Do- do you need an item special-ordered from the shop?"

He bleated a small laugh. "Oh, no, dear. This is an academic matter. The letters have already been mailed out, but since you're here, I might as well tell you," he began, smiling down at her.

"Tell me what?" she asked, a bit of pink in her cheeks.

"You've been accepted to begin study at Penderghast as an exchange student next year!" he grinned, his long ears twitching a little with excitement. "If you have the time, we can fill out the necessary paperwork now, if you'd like." Aster's eyes went wide as she screamed internally, but her body was still while the news set in.

"That's brilliant!" I cheered, picking her up and spinning her around in my arms. "Finally!"

"I- I really- I can- Oh my!" she shook giddily.

"I'm so happy for you!" I kissed her forehead. "This is your dream comin' true!"

She wiped a stray tear from her eye as the flowers in her hair began to dance and turn a bright white. "Yes! It really is!"

"This year keeps getting better!" Zeph bounced. "It's gonna be great having you on campus next year!"

I wrapped her in a tight hug. "This is so excitin'."

"Exciting is an understatement," she wrapped her arms around my back. "I want to learn more about Attuned magic and go to the library and to Thief games and do all the things students do…" She let out a happy breath.

I pulled away to look her over. "I've never seen anyone literally breathless with joy before. It's rather infectious," I smiled.

"If you're ready, Ms. D'Yew," Kontos offered his arm to her.

"Oh! Yes!" she took a step back, but her hands traced my arms. "Just a moment, if that's alright, Professor?"

"Of course," he nodded politely, putting his arm down for the moment.

She turned back to me and rested her forehead against mine, caressing my neck in her hands. "Percy, I want to thank you. I don't think I would have been able to do this without your encouragement."

I scoffed playfully. "Of course you would've. Your hard work and dedication got you here, not me. _You_ did this."

She grinned widely. "Maybe, but you're the first person to really believe in me. It made a difference."

I kissed her forehead again. "Regardless of anythin' I did or didn't do, this is all you. I'm just happy for you." She gave me a tight hug, her leaves tickling my arms as they waved excitedly. "Alright now, you need to go sort out your paperwork. It'd be a shame if you didn't get in because I was too distractin'," I joked.

She nodded with a giggle and took a step back, immediately being surrounded by our mates, all congratulating her and patting her shoulders. Kontos extended his elbow again, and Aster looped her arm with his, smiling and waving over her shoulder at us as he led her away.

"I've never seen her that happy," Griffin stated, "and she's happy _most_ of the time."

Beckett nodded. "I'm simply excited to speak with her in an academic capacity next year. I've read much of wood nymph culture and philosophy, and it is _fascinating_."

"Well, while you're discussing that," Shreya started, "I'll be taking notes on Aster's fashion choices. Wood nymph couture is the future, I'm telling you."

"I'm just glad she'll be around more," I smiled.

"I bet you are," Shreya and Zeph wagged their brows at me.

I rolled my eyes with a smirk. "I guess that means you'll have to get your own room, won't you Atlas?" I looked around, but my brother was gone. "Atlas?" I caught sight of him sulking off towards the lake. "I'll be right back, mates," I mumbled as I jogged off after him. I followed him to the bridge, where he stopped to look over the edge at the main quad, his arms crossed and his eyes distant. "You alwight?"

His head spun towards me. "I'm fine," he said quickly.

"You look it," I said sarcastically. "Is all this school stuff getting' to ya? You know, you've done enough for this school and the magical world, I'm sure they'd let you enrol if you just asked." I leant against the railing, trying to read his expression, which wasn't difficult saying that he just _oozed_ emotion when he didn't have his guard up.

"Maybe, but I'm not interested," he said simply. "This isn't my scene."

I was silent for a moment, then said, "You haven't really had a lot of experience with this 'scene', so how do you know?" I asked. "Besides, think of all the food you'd be missin' out on."

He smiled reluctantly and rocked back on his heels, looking down at his feet. "I will admit that passing up the Penderghast breakfast buffet isn't easy," he bit his cheek, "and the sunberry custard reminds me of the one my caretakers used to make…" He sighed. "I don't know. I just don't think I can stay."

"Tosh," I furrowed my brow. "You spent all this time trying to find me and now you just want to leave? What about this summer? Are you even gonna stay for that, or am I gonna lose you again in under a week?"

"Not everything is about you!" he spat, his eyes meeting mine, a deep irritation reflected in them.

Taken aback, I looked away and crossed my arms. "Alwight."

He sucked his teeth and turned his head swiftly back to the water. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap," he muttered. "I'm not leaving you or anything, I've just never been to school before. I've never been around this many people, and it's overwhelming. It makes me… itchy." I turned back to him, watching his posture wither as he leaned his arms against the railing. "Listen, Percy, I'm glad you found your place here, I really am, but I'm just not sure _I_ can."

I moved to stand next to him. "I get it, Atlas. This is new for you. I just thought… after you found me, after _I_ found _you_, found my missin' piece, we would stay together. I'm sorry if I'm pushin' too hard for that."

"I think what Perc is _trying_ to say is that you're not alone anymore, right, Perc?" Zeph's voice caught our ears, causing both of us to jump. Everyone was behind him. They'd all followed us.

"Did… Did you hear all of that?" Atlas asked, a bit of red creeping up his neck. When they all nodded, he hid his face in his hand and turned around, groaning and mumbling under his breath.

I chuckled and put my hand on his shoulder. "Brov, you can always talk to me if you're feelin' stressed or overwhelmed, _always._ That's what I'm here for. All of us, really," I smiled.

He rolled his eyes, still not turning around. "If I knew having 'friends' was like hiring five therapists to follow you around, I would have stayed in the forest."

"Give it time," I patted his back, "give it time."

"Like it or not, you have friends now," Zeph beamed.

Beckett looked off the bridge, just as upset by all of this as my brother. "It was hard for me to come to terms with as well."

With a sigh, Atlas turned back around. "I'm sure I'm going to regret saying this, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy your company _from time to time_, so… Thanks."

Shreya let out a loud gasp. "Oh my, did _Atlas_ just say 'thanks'?" she giggled, skipping over to him to wrap her arms around his torso.

"Don't get used to it," he huffed, but smiled as his hands found their way to her back. After a moment, he pushed her away. "You've all given me a lot to think about, so I'm going to go do that… _Alone_. Meaning, 'don't follow me'," he smirked. Without another word, he turned, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked away.

"Oi, Atlas!" I called after him. "Take off that bleedin' eyepatch! You look bloody ridiculous! No-one can take you seriously!" His response was to flip me the bird without even turning around. I snorted. "I reckon we wait to see what he decides," I turned back to my friends. "If there's one thing I know, it's that he'll decide what's best for him."

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing him around next year," Zeph said. "In the meantime, I'm going to do what's best for _me_ and take a nap. I was exhausted before breakfast, and now I'm exhausted and on my way to a food coma."

"Aye, it's been a rough week," I agreed. "Sweet dreams, Zeph."

He sighed. "I don't have high hopes for sweet dreams, but honestly, I think I'm too tired to care. See you guys later, okay?" he gave each of us a quick hug then slouched off toward the dorm.

"I left something of mine in Professor Englund's classroom, so I'm going to pop over there and pick it up before I leave for the summer," Shreya announced.

"Oh, while you're there, could you keep an eye out for my copy of the _Penderghast Compendium_?" Beckett asked urgently. "It has my name written on the inside cover."

I snorted, "Of course it does."

He held up his hand to silence me. "Please, no teasing. Things are hard enough as it is. I've never lost a book before, and I _must_ find it before I go home."

I was going to tease him anyway, but decided against it when a thought hit me in the face. "You should try the lost and found, that room we were in when we were chasin' Professor Swan a while back, remember?"

He nodded. "I suppose that's a suitable plan for the time being."

"Well, while you guys are of finding stuff, _I've_ got no reason to go back inside for the rest of the term, so I'm going for a swim," Griffin stated.

"Swim? There ain't a lido here," I thought aloud.

"Who said anything about that? I'm jumping in the lake!" he said, already dressing down. "Anybody who's game is invited to join."

Shreya rolled her eyes, but bit her lip when she saw the muscles on Griffin's back ripple as he took off his shoes. She shook her head. "What about you, Percy? How would you like to spend your last hours on campus?"

I shrugged. "Hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'll just wonder around, see what I see."

"Suit yourself," she shrugged back before skipping away to get whatever she'd left in the classroom.

"Very well, I'm going now as well," Beckett gave me a brief, polite nod.

"Don't be so formal," I pushed his shoulder affectionately.

"Er, 'I'm out, bye'," he poorly mimicked Zeph, making my body twitch as I tried not to laugh, but that only lasted so long before the air came rushing out of my nose.

"You're ridiculous. Go find your book, you spod," I snorted, walking off the bridge behind him.

When we all split up, I had the opportunity to meander around campus without _needing_ to be anywhere. It was rather relaxing. I thought about the year, what I'd learnt, the distance I'd come from not knowing my purpose back in Bristol. I'd found a home here at this school, friends, a family. I couldn't have been luckier, or happier.

After my trip around the world, everyone met back up near the greenhouse. Even Atlas had pulled himself out of his own head enough to join us. We had all that we needed packed and were just hanging around until it was time to say goodbye and leave for the summer. I supposed this would have been the perfect time to say an iconic line like, "I'm not going home, not really," or something, but I still had plans for the summer, so many things to figure out.

"I can't believe I'm about to leave. I feel like I've been here forever," I sighed, looking around at the landmarks I'd familiarised myself with over the past 10 months.

"Time sure flies when you're having fun!" Aster beamed.

"Or when you're being pursued by an evil old man who wants to murder you," Atlas added. "That's a fun way to lose track of time."

"Enough of that," I waved him off. "Evil old men aside, I had fun this year, and I have all of you to thank for that."

Shreya struck a cute pose, one hand on her hip and the other brushing her hair behind her ear. "Glad to see we're finally getting some credit for making this year the highlight of your entire lifetime." I smirked.

"I'm going to miss you guys," Griffin began getting sentimental. "Who am I going to talk about Thief with?"

Not even a second later, Zeph shouted, "Oh! Me! Pick me! I want to talk about Thief. I'm your guy, day or night!" He bounced giddily.

"I demand to be included in any and all discussions about Thief," I piped in.

"I don't know much about Thief," Beckett began, "but having someone to talk to about my research this summer would be mutually productive."

"You can tell me all about your research, Beckett," Shreya beamed, "but only if I get to make you read something _fun_ for once."

"There's always a catch," I joked.

"Those are acceptable conditions," he nodded formally. "I am willing to expand my literary horizons. Summer is an excellent opportunity to develop one's artistic tastes, after all."

"I'm going to spend my summer on the lookout for magical items that remind me of each of you," Aster bounced.

Zeph joined her. "Ooh, can I get a magical wooden owl like the ones you have? Wait! Scratch that. Can I get a magical wooden lizard?"

Beckett rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous."

"I haven't seen a wooden lizard in a long time," Aster replied, "but I'll keep an eye out."

As we all began to walk back to the dorms to pick up our things, I bumped my shoulder into Aster's, taking her hand in mine as we strolled side by side. "Can I stop by to visit the shop this summer?" I asked.

"Of course, Percy! I'd love it if you would stop in," she beamed. "I couldn't imagine going an entire summer without hearing from you."

I shrugged and gave her a sideways glance. "It's not that you wouldn't know what I was up to, though, is it?"

She giggled. "I will probably check in on you, yes." I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, making her snuggle into me as we walked.

"Oh, crap! If we don't get to the Hall of Mirrors soon, I'm gonna be late, and if I'm late, Abuela's gonna _kill_ me!" Zeph shouted, jogging in place as he waved his goodbye before running off.

"You go on ahead. I want to sit for a moment and look at the lake," I smiled, pushing Aster forward with the rest of the group as they followed Zeph.

"Last one to the mirror room's a rotten Yorba egg!" he shouted back to us.

"If you're determined to embarrass yourself, then you're on," Atlas grinned before taking off at full speed.

"Friendly competition, is it?" Beckett chortled and followed after them.

Griffin chuckled. "Take your time, Percy. These clowns will be eating my dust for hours after I win," he said then took off as quickly as my brother had.

All of their laughter filled the air for a moment as they ran across the quad. I let out a pleased sigh and sat on the stone bench. _I'm gonna miss this place. _

The second I'd let myself fully relax, my head snapped backwards, a bright flash clouding my vision. Suddenly, the campus' green, luscious colours were greyed and misty. The ground began to shake, knocking the security statue off her pedestal. "You have no idea what you've started…" The campus flashed away, and I saw green hills for miles around, shaking as the earth began to crack in a long, jagged line through the valley. I saw a middle-aged man, a farmer most likely, clinging to the trunk of a tree, barely able to hold himself up. Heavy clouds rolled in, lightning sparking in the distance, just as the ground was forced open, the crack deeper than any fissure I'd seen. Purple light shot out from the ground, turning the sky dark. From the centre of the fissure, two arms emerged, where a man pulled himself out onto the grass. When he stood, he dusted himself off and casually pulled a top hat from the hole, fixing it on his head stylishly. The farmer approached him, asking if he was alright, but the man magically cleaned the dirt from his tailcoat and fiddled with his curly moustache. When the farmer reached out to him, the man summoned a twister in his hand, letting it grow larger and larger until it touched the sky. The cyclone tore through the trees, lifting the farmer and throwing him about with the rest of the debris. As he struggled, the twister worked its way through the countryside, becoming smaller as it disappeared into the distance. The man grinned and looked right at me, something I'd never seen before in any of my visions.

As my reality began to come back, the dizziness of my prescience took hold. I blinked a few times and reached for my head, but before my hand could get halfway up, I'd fallen sideways off the bench and hit the ground, blacking out completely.

* * *

Author's note: Thank you for reading this far. I had a blast writing this and I hope you had a blast reading it. I will be working on book 2, but I

want to work on two other variations of this story first, one of which is already started and available from my page.

Thanks again for sticking around and loving these characters as much as I do.

LZM


End file.
